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CORNELIA deZENG- FOSTER 




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Book J 

Copyright N°_ 

COPYRIGHT DEPOSHV 



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The Library of Congress 



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What a Woman Saw 
in South America 



By 

CORNELIA deZENG-FOSTER 



ILLU ST R A TED 



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Boston 

The Roxburgh Publishing Company 

Inc. 



Copyrighted, 1913, by 
The Roxburgh Publishing Company 
Rights Reserved 




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3CU358 

I 1 



CONTENTS 



Chapter I 
Chapter II 



Chapter III 
Chapter IV 



Chapter V 
Chapter VI 
Chapter VII 
Chapter VIII 



Colon — Guayaquil — Paita — 
Pascamyo — To Lima. 
Lima — Callao — Chorillos — 
Barranca — Pisco — Chala — 
Mollendo — Cuzco — Taltal — 
Ilo — Arica — Iquique — Anto- 
fogasta. 

Valparaiso — Santiago — Vina 
del Mar — Tropederas — Lota. 
Punta Arenas — Terra del 
Fuego — Montevideo — Buenos 
Ayres — Santos Guaraja — Rio 
de Janeiro — Bahia — Pernam- 
buco — Funchal. 
Lisbon — Cintra. 
Tangier s — A Visit to a Harem. 
Tangier s. 

Gibraltar — A Igeciras — Boba- 
dilla — Ronda — Seville. 



DEDICATION 

To 
My Mother, to whom this material was origi- 
nally sent in the form of letters, 
and to 
The "Doctor," my husband, with whom the 
trip was taken, 
This Book 
Is affectionately dedicated. 



ILLUSTRATIONS 

Chapter I Frontispiece, The Author. 

Silver & Copper Images ta- 
ken from Inca Tombs by the 
Author. 

Ancient Inca Pottery. 
On the Tram at Paita — Fruit 
Vender at Paita — Street Cor- 
ner in Paita — Our Party at 
Pascamyo — Hoisting Animals 
onto the ship. 



Chapter II Burial Tiers At Lima — Avenue 
of Monuments in Cemetery 
at Lima — Little Chapel in Cem- 
etery at Lima — Where We 
Breakfasted in Barranca — Re- 
duced Head of Jivaros Indian. 



Chapter III A Valparaiso Shanty — A Milk 
ing Corner in Valparaiso — 
A Bullock Team — A Santiago 
Tram — Entrance to Santa Lu- 
cia Park. 



Chapter IV Landing Basket at Bahia — In 
Mid- Air — In the Botanical 
Gardens, Rio de Janeiro — Ona 
Indians of Terra del Fuego. 



Chapter V Queen Amelia's Cat — A Fruit 
Vender of Lisbon — The Moor- 
ish Castle at C intra. 



Chapter VI Selem, Our Dragoman — A Tan- 
gier s Street — In the Gram Mar- 
ket at Tangiers — On the Road 
to Fez. 



Chapter VII A Water Carrier — In a Moor- 
ish Garden — Cacti Hedge 
About a Riffi Village — On the 
Mountain Near Tangiers — 
A Riffi Belle at Her Toilette. 



WHAT A WOMAN SAW IN 
SOUTH AMERICA 



CHAPTER I 

COLON— PANAMA— GUAYAQUIL— 
PAITA— PASCAMAYO— TO LIMA. 

Colon proved disappointing. When the 
Atlantic Terminal of the old French Canal, the 
Dry Docks, Wharves, etc., have been visited, 
no one lingers longer as the lure of Panama is 
already in the air. 

We had a tiresome time just outside the har- 
bor at Colon where we dropped anchor, hoisted 
the quarantine flag, and waited for the Doctor- 
of-the-port to come out and pass judgment on 
us. It was mere form with the First Cabin 
passengers, as the ship's physician had kept 
good watch over us and could give a favorable 
report of our condition, but those of the Second 
9 



io WHAT A WOMAN SAW 

Cabin and Steerage did not escape so easily. 
They were lined up on deck where the inspector 
poked and pinched them, peered under their 
eyelids, felt their pulse and finally closed the 
inquisition by vaccinating each and every one, 
even a wee pickaninny who raised serious ob- 
jections to such rough handling, and kicked and 
squalled most lustily. 

The ride from Colon to Panama is charming. 
The railroad follows the line of the Canal and 
many stops are made in order that the passen- 
gers may see the work that is being done. The 
names of some of the towns are very funny 
when translated into English— the most unique 
being "Fried Beans," "Flying Squirrel,""High 
Bishop," etc. When the train halts at the va- 
rious stations legions of faces present them- 
selves to view. Belated travellers laden with 
innumerable boxes, bags, and bundles rush 
wildly about; pretty girls in dainty summer 
dresses eagerly wait to greet expected friends; 
dark eyed signoritas cast shy glances from the 
graceful folds of their lace mantillas; soldiers 
in cool white uniforms stand stiffly at attention 



IN SOUTH AMERICA n 

while some superior officer passes; cadaverous 
looking Chinamen who look as if they never 
smiled; and sleepy-eyed Mexicans and villain- 
ous piratical Spaniards with clanking spurs and 
flopping sombreros — all come to this zone of 
activity in hope of gaining some of the easily 
acquired gambling gold. All around are little 
tropical houses perched far up from the ground 
on stilts and looking like diminutive bird-cages 
peeping out from among the foliage. I had 
always thought of the Isthmus as a low lying 
marshy strip, so was surprised to find the train 
running along against a background of wild 
forest-covered mountains with thatched negro 
huts scattered among the fern trees, and man- 
goes and bananas growing at their very doors. 
We were told that many deer are shot in the 
jungle, and at one place a party of hunters came 
aboard bearing the bodies of two beautiful stags. 
It gives an uncanny feeling when crossing the 
death dealing Black Swamp — once the haunt 
of legions of mosquitos- — to be told that a step 
either side of the track would plunge us into a 
morass of quick-sand from which nothing ever 



12 WHAT A WOMAN SAW 

escapes. We saw thousands of paroquets 
swarming in the trees and scolding vociferously 
at the train's invasion of their domain; gaudy 
butterflies hovered over the wild cannas and 
twisting sweet-brier; and every now and then 
an orchid would nod to us from its home high 
up in a moss-draped tree. 

The present roadbed of the railroad runs 
where the Canal will eventually be, but hun- 
dreds of workmen are busily engaged laying new 
tracks, and after 191 5 the route across the isth- 
mus will be quite different, for the canal waters 
will have submerged the site of the present 
tracks. Of the work on which the attention 
of the entire world is now centered, I will not 
speak in detail. We were furnished with let- 
ters of introduction to Colonel Goethals and 
other prominent officials and had unusual op- 
portunities to see the stupendous undertaking. 
Needless to say we made the most of our time. 
America should be proud of having successfully 
accomplished the wonder of the century. 

In Panama we stopped at the "Hotel Tivoli," 
which is owned and operated by the U.S. Gov- 



IN SOUTH AMERICA 13 

ernment. It provides most thoughtfully for 
its guests, but like everything else in the Canal 
Zone demands unscrupulous prices. 

Thanks to Colonel Gorgas' strenuous work 
and the complete extinction of the dreaded 
mosquito — of which pest we did not see a single 
one during our sojourn in the Zone — Panama is 
no longer the unsanitary spot of several years 
ago. 

Everyone rides in Panama, even the big black 
Mammy grinning over the top of her basket 
piled high with all sorts of frilled and furbelowed 
garments. At first it did not seem possible 
that the diminutive horses, which remind one of 
big dogs, could draw the carriages; yet we were 
assured that they are the only equines able to 
endure hard work in this climate, and they soon 
proved their ability to get us over the ground. 
Being recommended to try a coachman who 
answered in a rich Irish brogue to the poetic 
name of Tomaso Sullivan (yet was in color the 
jettiest of blacks and scarcely looked the nat- 
ionality expected), we found him so familiar 
with the city and its customs, so tireless and 



i 4 WHAT A WOMAN SAW 

good-natured, as well as owning excellent horses 
that showed much better care than the ma- 
jority, that we engaged him for our entire stay 
and under his guidance saw more than most 
foreign visitors. 

We drove in and out and through and around 
the city; to the old sea-wall flanked by huge 
stone towers within whose shadow sit soldiers 
with loaded guns mounting guard over the pris- 
oners in the dungeons below; through the beau- 
tiful park-like grounds of the French Hospital 
(built years ago at an expense of five millions 
and recently remodelled and equipped with all 
modern devices for the relief of suffering) ; past 
the cemetery where side by side in long rows 
marked by white stones lie the fever victims of 
1903-04 (5000 of them at an average age of 
twenty-three years, all stricken within eighteen 
months; through the large Chinese Quarter, 
where Celestials hold full sway and the perfume 
of joss-sticks floats out to greet the nostrils of the 
passer-by; through winding narrow streets with 
evil smells, where the shops were mere holes in 
the tottering walls, and slovenly wrapper-clad 



IN SOUTH AMERICA 15 

women with uncombed masses of long black hair 
and bare feet, sold sugar-cane, yams, plantains, 
and mangoes to customers not over fastidious, 
while dirty babies, arrayed only in smiles and 
drops of perspiration, sprawled in the sun and 
played with dwarfed, hairless dogs that seemed 
to know by instinct that we were strangers and 
therefore to be barked and growled and bristled 
at. At sunset we went to the flower-embowered 
plaza where, high up on the towers and belfry of 
the old Cathedral the jack-daws gathered to 
discuss the weather and family affairs before 
tucking their heads under their wings for the 
night. Our evenings were spent watching the 
promenaders and listening to the band, while we 
dined at some of the popular restaurants where 
all phases of life are to be seen. 

ON BOARD STEAMER "GUATAMALA." 

Ships do not sail from Panama, but from the 
port of Balboa. It was interesting to hear that 
where our ship lay in dock was the exact spot 
where Balboa waded into the Pacific and took 



16 WHAT A WOMAN SAW 

possession of it and of all the shores which it 
might touch. How little he dreamed of the 
vastness of what he claimed! 

The train runs from Panama down to the 
wharves, but in order to see more of the country 
we had our faithful Tomaso drive us down. 
We bowled along over a smooth dustless road 
running between flower embowered houses 
shaded by acacia trees, through the Quarters of 
the military attaches, past those of the Con- 
stabulary of the Zone, along by the magnificent 
cement-walled burial placeof the Chinese, where 
the bones of the departed must lie three years in 
queer tiers that remind one of Post Office boxes 
before they are sent to rest among their ances- 
tors in their native land. They are guarded 
by a scowling Buddha perched high above a 
carved gate built in Pagoda style. 

The site of Panama has been changed. The 
old city built in 1 518 was taken and destroyed 
by Morgan and his pirates in 1673. It stood 
at the mouth of the creek four miles north-east 
of the present city, and the spot is now de- 
serted, but marked by a tower which, together 



IN SOUTH AMERICA 17 

with an arch and some fragments of wall, are 
the only remains of the once opulent city. 

Last night we crossed the Equator — that im- 
aginary parting of the world, the beginning and 
ending of all latitude — without any serious jar or 
bump as we passed over the line, and this morn- 
ing we have been on deck watching the salt- 
water snakes that come up to sun themselves, 
their yellow and black backs glistening like jew- 
els as they float lazily on the waves. We are 
now in latitude i°ij miles, about seventy miles 
south of the equator, and just opposite the shores 
of Ecuador, off which lie the Treasure Isles of 
La Plata, which have many times been the scene 
of unsuccessful searches for pirate gold. 

On account of Bubonic Plague and Yellow 
Fever, which are now raging at Guayaquil, we 
were not allowed to land there, but only anchor- 
ed at the mouth of the Guayas river — thirty- 
three miles down from the city — and discharged 
our cargo into great lighters that had been tho- 
roughly disinfected and sent out to us. The 
Guayas river is the largest on the west coast, 
and at the mouth is a mile wide. It is dotted 



1 8 WHAT A WOMAN SAW 

with low mangrove islands where cranes and 
herons congregate and numerous alligators bask 
in the sun. The place is infested with mosqui- 
tos, and that reminds me of the story about two 
captains who met on shore at one of the ports 
farther down the coast and one inquired about 
the mosquitos at Guayaquil. "They were 
terrible," said Number Two. "They ate all my 
canvas." "The very swarm we met!" exclaim- 
ed Number One; "Jor they all wore canvas 
breeches." 

From Guayaquil we had our first view of the 
Andes — so called from an old Peruvian word 
signifying "metal." In the distance Chimbo- 
razo Mountain rises in sullen silence 21,424 
feet above the level of the sea; also the craggy 
crest of Caraguairazo named by the Indians 
"The Wife of Chimborazo." Only glimpses 
were to be had, as the insects were so annoying 
we were glad to seek refuge behind the netting- 
barred doors of our staterooms, and even then 
an occasional bug, more daring than his mates, 
crept in and there was no rest until he was de- 
stroyed. 



IN SOUTH AMERICA 19 

There are no men servants on the west coast 
steamship lines. All the work is done by stew- 
ards. The bath tub on this ship is a wonder- 
ful affair. It is a huge block of onyx hollowed 
out so deep that when one is escorted with great 
ceremony to the edge and left stranded with a 
vast array of soap and towels, you climb over 
the rim and down into the depths with the feel- 
ing of descending into a tomb or ancient sarco- 
phagus. No dangers are encountered, and the 
only antiquities found are veteran cockroaches 
who have held the tub as their happy hunting 
ground for many a year. Disturbed by the 
intrusion of a strange white monster who at- 
tacks them vigorously with scrubbing-brushes, 
or throws soap at them, they scuttle away to 
their lairs. They are harmless things, however, 
and the salt-water is so refreshing that one is 
quite willing to brave them and repeat the ex- 
perience. 

There are some delightful people aboard. 
Opposite us at table sits a long, lean, lank indi- 
vidual equipped with monocule and notebooks, 
who excited considerable comment by his 



20 WHAT A WOMAN SAW 

strange ways and analytical stare, until we 
learned that he is the great ornithological 
expert of England, who has been invited 
by the Peruvian Government to head an 
expedition for the purpose of studying 
the habits of the birds along the coast, 
and discover if possible why the guano 
deposits are so rapidly diminishing. The ex- 
port of guano was one of the greatest revenues 
of Peru, and its decrease entails immense finan- 
cial loss. To hear this great man talk for half 
an hour is a liberal education in ornithology. 
There are several young mining engineers who 
are on their way into the mountains near Santi- 
ago. The demon photographer is aboard with 
a new camera which we are obliged to dodge in 
order to prevent being snapped in all sorts of 
ridiculous moments. There is a young M. D. 
just emerged from the chrysalis state of student- 
ship at Cornell, who is taking a run down to 
Lima before settling down to real work, and 
though he dotes on big words and long techni- 
cal sounding phrases, down underneath the 
assumed superiority is really a dear boy who 



IN SOUTH AMERICA 21 

loves a lark as well as in his freshman days. 

The stern-faced Suffragette is here — she who 
would redeem the world from wicked men and 
transform it into a "Hennery." Of course we 
have the "Newly weds" (two pairs on this boat), 
who stroll arm in arm unconscious of the glory 
that surrounds them and have eyes only for 
each other. One is a shy little maid from San 
Francisco, who clings confidingly to the strong 
encircling arm of her big burly husband, who is 
taking his fair bride down into the wilds of the 
Chilian Andes to prospect for gold. The other 
couple are Peruvians. He is a great, strap- 
ping piece of pomposity, with heavy black 
moustachios waxed to pin-points and 
pointing fiercely upward, yet he deigns to 
smile when his blushing, dimpling, dark-eyed 
darling tickles his nose, and then as a reward for 
his patient endurance perches a dainty kiss un- 
der his ear when she thinks no one is looking. 
The rest of the passengers are the usual assort- 
ment found on trips like this — some entertain- 
ing, some bores, and some nonentities. 

It is always interesting to watch one's neigh- 



22 WHAT A WOMAN SAW 

bors "Fletcherize" at table. The absent minded 
business man eats to the tempo of a lively quick- 
step; the nouveau-rich, recently evolved from 
husks to millions, work knife and fork to the 
"jump up and down polka", and the love sick 
"spooners" languidly elevate their food to the 
seductive strains of the "Merry Widow waltz." 
United States people are largely in the minor- 
ity, but make strenuous efforts to represent 
their country properly. They are "picked- 
on" good naturedly. For example: a "Blooming 
Englishman" (Son of an earl and rather "Don't 
cher know") wisely explained that the Presi- 
dents of the United States sprang from obscuri- 
ty, and after four years of lime-light re- 
turned whence they came, while English rulers 
had succeeded each other for many centuries on 
account of their royal blood. Doctor, having 
whiter hair than the others of the "would be 
limelighters", was looked to for a response to 
the Englishman's toast (Roast), so simply and 
modestly he asked him if he realized that "it 
takes no more brains to be born a king than to 
fall into a mudpuddle." The Englishman did 



IN SOUTH AMERICA 23 

not join in the. loud smile, but was later heard to 
ask the Captain "if that was a joke or an in- 
sult." 

The weather is getting dreadfully hot, and 
this morning I overhauled our luggage and in 
the very lowest depths packed away everything 
which is not of the thinnest. Since the mercu- 
ry registered 104 at nine A. M. in Colon we 
have not dared to look at the thermometer for 
fear we might find the quick-silver running out 
of the top, but we are not suffering, as the ship 
is well equipped with electric fans, and when 
within reach of them we can always keep com- 
fortable. 

Thus far we have not sighted a ship, but the 
flying-fish prove a continual source of amuse- 
ment and we never tire watching them scuttle 
away from under the bows of our vessel. We 
see a great many ducks and just now a lonely 
little gull is swinging round the stern in quest 
of food, while two decks below where we are 
sitting a fat pig is ambling briskly and squeal- 
ing delightedly over each newly discovered 
moist spot, which he thinks is for his special 



24 WHAT A WOMAN SAW 

playground. Poor Piggy! Little does he dream 
that his days are numbered and that he is 
to be the "piece de resistance" for the Christ- 
mas dinner. All of these steamship lines carry 
the meat on the hoof, and the animals con- 
tentedly nibbling their food today are apt to 
greet you tomorrow in quite another form and 
minus several parts of their anatomy. The 
poor things are killed as required, for the 
facilities of the refrigerator are not sufficient 
to hold the amount needed, and the powers of 
the ice-plant are limited. So there is a but- 
cher, a baker, a chef, — in fact a staff of efficient 
"specialists" to cater to the wants of the pas- 
sengers. But there is no garden and the 
traveller is obliged to depend on canned things. 
The animals are brought to the ship (which 
is called by the natives "The Devil's Boat") 
in lighters and hoisted by a noose slipped un- 
der their horns and hooked to the chain of 
the steam-winch. The poor brutes are knock- 
ed against the bulwarks in a barbarous way, 
swung through the air and dropped on deck 
with a crash that stuns them, and it is often 



IN SOUTH AMERICA 25 

necessary to twist their tails violently in order 
to restore consciousness. 

After disposing of our cargo at Guayaquil 
and watching in vain for the "canvas clad 
mosquitos," our next stop was at Paita, and 
hardly had we dropped anchor before a mul- 
titude of natives swarmed up the ladders and 
offered all sorts of articles for sale. Most 
interesting were the Panama hats, and after 
much bartering we purchased two beauties. 
The town did not look very promising, but on 
invitation of the Captain we went ashore in 
a boat manned by eight lithe sailors and were 
entertained by the Captain of the Port- — a 
gay old beau retired from the Peruvian army 
and inordinately proud of his medals and his 
English, which he tangles and twists most 
wofully. We were escorted with much cere- 
mony through the Custom House and along 
narrow irregular streets that start from no- 
where and end in the same place and fairly seethe 
with naked babies, Chihauhan dogs, and pow- 
der-bedaubed women, who stared open-mouthed 
at the strange white woman who laughed so 



26 WHAT A WOMAN SAW 

much and was apparently having such a good 
time. 

After securing as souvenir a mouldy old 
piece of bamboo cane that served as a brace 
in the wall of one of the first houses built in 
Paita, and which required the combined ef- 
forts of all the jack-knives in the party to pry 
it loose, we took a ride on a ramshackle tram- 
car drawn by a despondent donkey who turned 
away his head whenever we attempted to take 
his photograph. We closed our visit by a 
call at a much-lauded club, (the only one in 
Paita) where we made a merry party over 
stale crackers and ginger-ale and admired the 
elaborate decorations being hung for the 
Christmas dance. 

Paita is a wonderfully healthful place where 
no one is ever ill, and it is said that the inhabi- 
tants never die except from sheer weariness 
of existence. As an example of the salubrious- 
ness of the climate it is related that two men 
(an undertaker and a grave digger), after long 
months of waiting for clients, decided that 
something must be done to start business. 




1. On the Tram at Paita 3. Street Corner at Paita 

2. Fruit Vender at Paita 4. Our Party at Pascamyo 

5. Hoisting Animals onto the Ship 



IN SOUTH AMERICA 29 

So in desperation they brought from a plague- 
stricken district a man in the very last stages 
of yellow-fever, thinking that he might prove 
a mascot and gather others into the fold of 
the new cemetery. No sooner had he reached 
Paita than he almost instantly recovered, and 
today lives to tell the tale of their goodness in 
bringing him to the place and saving him from 
filling an early grave. 

It is related that "one hundred years ago 
pirates landed at Paita and sacked the town. 
One of the men, thinking that the image of the 
Virgin in the little church was silver, tried to cut 
off the head with a sword. When he had made 
a large cut in the throat, blood flowed so freely 
that the ruffians all took fright and fled. Every 
year since, on the anniversary of the crime, 
the wound bleeds and pilgrimages are made 
from all the country round." 

There was little to see at Eten, but we anchor- 
ed in the sand-drifted harbor and took on 
quantities of rice and sugar which we are to 
carry to Callao. 

Every new-comer to this coast finds amuse- 



30 WHAT A WOMAN SAW 

ment in watching the birds with which the 
water is fairly black. Downy gulls, shy hell- 
divers, and sactimonious pelicans hover about 
the ship in expectation of some tit-bit which 
they have learned is sure to be forthcoming 
from the passengers. Occasionally a sad look- 
ing seal pops up his shining round head to catch 
a glimpse before joining his brothers on the 
rocks near by, who sent us short sharp barks 
of greeting above the roar and boom of the 
breakers. 

Yesterday we arrived at Pascamyo, and af- 
ter the usual red tape visitation by the Cap- 
tain-of-the-port we went ashore. "Went a- 
shore" sounds very simple and easy, but in 
most places along this coast the surf is terrific 
and none of the ships ever go very near shore, 
but anchor out a few miles and the natives 
come out to them in all sorts of queer 
crafts and boats which they manage with 
wonderful dexterity. When a passenger wish- 
es to land he must bargain with these men and 
go in their boats, and no matter how exorbi- 
tant a price has been agreed upon, they inva- 



IN SOUTH AMERICA 31 

riably demand more at the time of settlement. 
So it is always wise not to pay until safely back 
on the ship, and then if the demands are too 
annoying one of the stewards soon disposes of 
them with the threat of having their license 
as "Fletero" taken away. One can get with 
comparative ease down the ship's ladder, but 
it is at the bottom of that rickety swaying 
flight of steps that the real trouble begins. 
The swell tosses the little crafts like egg- 
shells, raising them high on the crest of the waves 
and giving the person waiting to embark a 
good drenching if one does not watch out. 
Then just as one thinks now is the time to step, 
the treacherous water retreats, pulling the boat 
down into the trough sometimes eight or ten 
feet. We had heard of these tricks of the surf, 
but not until we attempted to get into one of 
the small boats did we realize what it meant. 
At last we were off and after much rolling and 
pitching and tossing reached the Mole, climbed 
up a seemingly endless flight of steps only to 
find ourselves fully a mile and a half from the 
town. After due conference we chartered a 



32 WHAT A WOMAN SAW 

small flat freight-car used to transport cargo 
out to the end of the wharf, and were pushed 
along by eight peons who seemed in danger of 
melting from the ardor of their exertions but 
were glad of a little extra money, and in this case 
surely earned it by the sweat of their brow, 
for the heat was intense and the sun beat down 
like a furnace. The town was miserable 
enough. Dirty stagnant water stood in a for- 
lorn little brook that was discouraged trying 
to run through the heavy sand, and whose 
shores boasted only one or two embellishments 
in the way of scrubby trees. Even grass re- 
fused to grow, but it was an ideal place for germs 
to gather and thrive, and from current reports 
of the sanitation of the place these germs fully 
understand their business and carry off the 
greater part of the inhabitants of the town. 
Like the proverbial "Lamb of Little Mary" 
we nipped and nosed and poked about, wander- 
ed through the cobble-stoned streets lined with 
forlorn adobe houses that leaned pathetically 
against each other for support, and shelter 
families of appalling size. There is no race 



.,;':., 



\ ■■■ 



•A> ' V, : 






t ' 



Silver and Copper Images taken from Incas Tombs by the Author 




" •■ 




Oh 




IN SOUTH AMERICA 37 

suicide in South America; ten or twelve child- 
ren hardly count and families of twenty-two 
are not unusual. One wonders how the peo- 
ple manage to live regardless of hygiene or the 
most ordinary sanitary precautions, yet the 
majority do not look underfed and the inev- 
itable cigarette is seen in the nicotine-stained 
fingers of mere babies. 

No post-cards being available we sought for 
"Huacoes" — strange little earthenware jugs 
and gods dug from the Inca ruins, which are 
here found in great numbers and are very 
desirable in the eyes of relic hunters. "Huaco" 
might have been our battle-cry, so often did 
we speak it stopping at the doorways of the 
shanties and gesticulating wildly at the aston- 
ished natives. We had fairly good luck in 
obtaining the desired articles, yet I must confess 
I doubt our having succeeded in striking a bar- 
gain had not one of our party been able to 
speak Spanish and act as interpreter. 

We took some snapshots of ourselves fondly 
embracing a wobble-eared donkey loaded with 
a few sticks of kindling-wood and many fleas. 



38 WHAT A WOMAN SAW 

Several of the latter immediately left him to 
join us, and I have since been very busy train- 
ing the one I annexed. This is indeed the land 
where fleas wax and grow fat. The natives do 
not seem to mind them, but as soon as a new 
"gringo" comes down from the north word goes 
out of his arrival; invitations are sent out to all 
the descendents of the original grandfather 
flea — even unto the third and fourth genera- 
tion, yes, even unto the tenth — and immed- 
iately the clans gather and get busy. If I 
could be arrested and condemned for the things 
I think about fleas, my sentence would be so 
long that even in distant ages yet to come I 
would still sit in my dungeon cell marked 
"Exhibit A" and pointed out to future gener- 
ations as an awful example of the state to 
which language even unexpressed could bring 
one. 

Salaverry is the port of Trujillo and a most 
important town. Near it are extensive ruins 
of the "Gran Chimu", which was the largest 
city of ancient Peru, and from the harbor can 
be seen one great pyramid that contains fifty 



IN SOUTH AMERICA 39 

million cubic feet and stands one hundred and 
fifty feet high. 

Salaverry's townspeople are not over fond 
of work and numerous festivals give them fre- 
quent holidays, when everyone carouses. The 
authorities have originated the idea of flying 
a red flag in the harbor on work days and also 
to show when cargo can be landed, as the surf 
often runs so high that no boat can be launched. 

The lower decks of our ship are packed with 
tons of oranges, melons, limes, and mangoes, 
as well as bunches of bananas, and many peo- 
ple make their living by selling the fruit pur- 
chased from the ships, as here nothing grows 
and everything except meat brings a good price. 



CHAPTER II 

LIMA-CALLAO-CHORILLOS-BARRANCA 

PISCO-CHALA-MOLLENDO-CUZCO- 

TALTAL-ILO-ARICA-IQUIQUE- 

ANTOFOGASTA. 

The charm of old Lima is enthraling. Each 
day is full to everflowing with an unending 
round of pleasure. We had a delightful visit 
at "Casa Pesal," the home of some of our new- 
friends. The Senora is an American girl mar- 
ried to a charming Spaniard of long name and 
longer lineage. Having been on a visit to her 
mother in the States and to his home in Spain 
for the christening of a new baby, they 
chanced to be on the same boat with us 
from New York to Colon, so we came to know 
them well and found them most agreeable. 
We spent the afternoon with them and, 
aside from the pleasure of meeting again, 
40 




1. Burial Tiers at Lima 

2. Avenue of Monuments in 

Cemetery at Lima 



3. Little Chapel in Cemetery at Lima 

4. Where We Breakfasted in Barranca 

5. Reduced Head, Jivaros Indian 



IN SOUTH AMERICA 43 

we were glad to see the inside of a real South 
American home. Our drive led us through the 
oldest part of the city where nearly every block 
is punctuated by a church or cathedral. We 
stopped at the first church built in Lima. It 
is a dejected looking little building crowded in 
between tottering houses. Dogs, cats, chick- 
ens, pigs, and children roll and scratch in the 
broiling sun that pours down on streets over- 
grown with grass and weeds, that thrust them- 
selves up between the cracks and crevices to 
offer tit-bits to poor tired burros that go trudg- 
ing patiently along under burdens so large that 
they look in imminent danger of being crushed. 
Did you ever notice what a sorrowfully gro- 
tesque little beast a burro is ? His ears are out of 
all proportion to the rest of him and he wiggles 
and flops and wobbles them as he ambles and 
shambles along quite oblivious to the kicks and 
blows of his hard-hearted master, who abuses 
him shamefully. But Mr. Burro only twitches 
his funny little tail at the blows and goes his 
own sweet way at his own chosen gait. The 
Peruvians have absolutely no regard for ani- 



44 WHAT A WOMAN SAW 

mals, and the hack-drivers are especially cruel. 
We drove furiously over bumpy pavements 
which sent us flying up from the seat to fall 
back just in time to rise again as the vehicle 
swayed wildly from side to side. I thought 
passers-by would surely see that our steeds 
were running away and rescue us. No 
one seemed to notice anything out of the ordi- 
nary. We met several hacks going at about 
the same rate of speed and decided to let 
matters take their course and trust to luck. 
Grabbing our hats with one hand and franti- 
cally clutching the carriage with the other, 
while our teeth fairly rattled in our heads, we 
prepared to enjoy the scenery, or at least the 
part we could see as we flew along. 

Leaving the city we crossed the once sacred 
river Rimac, that comes rumbling and gurgling 
down from the mountains that surround the 
town like an amphitheater. On their sides grow 
giant palms that at a distance look "like feather 
dusters stuck up on end, or like sentinels set 
to watch over the city below." After a short 
run past open stretches covered with weeds 



IN SOUTH AMERICA 45 

(even the weeds are beautiful in this country) 
we arrived at one of the most charming of 
houses — a long one-storied building with wide 
open galleries running round the four sides and 
set in a bower of roses, honeysuckle, palms and 
myrtle trees which nodded and beckoned us to 
enter. We were soon within a delightfully cool 
shady room drinking delicious tea with our 
hostess. The furnishings were sumptuous and in- 
cluded many rare antiques — some of them heir- 
looms from the old home in Spain. After tea 
we went out through a great open court into 
a lovely garden where all sorts of flowers were 
in bloom. One golden rose peeped invitingly 
over the high wrought iron fence. There were 
fuchsias, geraniums, heliotropes fully six feet 
tall; begonias with large leaves, camellias, 
gardenias, and rhododendrons. The air was 
redolent with their perfume, and under foot was 
a thick carpet of pansies and violets. In one 
corner of this wonderful garden we saw our 
first coffee tree and gathered some of the berries. 
A pair of friendly parrots chattered to us from 
the branches of a flaming hibiscus close by, and 



46 WHAT A WOMAN SAW 

even followed us to a vine-clad arbor shading 
a pond where goldfish darted among water- 
lilies, and passion flowers with their delicious 
fruit (grenadillas) swung in tempting reach. 
We fed the birds that flutter and nest and sing 
in an aviary; petted a dear little poodle and 
her two tiny puppies; watched the peacocks 
strut; admired the high bred horses cared for 
by expert grooms; peeped at the pack of hunt- 
ing dogs (70 of them) ; marvelled at the spurs 
of the fighting cocks who are often so heroic 
that they leave their blood in the arena and 
never crow again; hee-hawed at the herd of 
mules; fed biscuits to the tame deer that stood 
on their hind legs and begged for attention; 
visited the old mill which is the largest in 
South America, and returned to our apartment 
with our arms full of blossoms intoxicating in 
their sweetness. 

ON BOARD STEAMER "VICTORIA." 

Callao is the port for Lima, and a noted place, 
but does not offer much to the tourist except an 



IN SOUTH AMERICA 47 

old Spanish Fortress now used as a Custom 
House. We have been on deck watching the 
last fluttering handkerchief of our new friends 
who came down to see us off, but were driven 
below by the nauseous odor of what is known 
as "The Callao Barber." Some say it is caused 
by dead fish washed in by the swell and depos- 
ited on the sand, while others think it is from 
mud of volcanic origin at the bottom of the sea, 
but whatever the cause it is very disagreeable 
and leaves a thick deposit on whitewashed 
boats like chocolate colored slime that is very 
difficult to efface. Today the water is peace- 
ful; quite different from the way it probably 
looked in 1724 when the sea rose over Callao 
in a wave over eighty feet high, and Lima was 
destroyed by an earthquake. 

Near Callao is a great rock upon which is 
carved the image of a candle-stick — about one 
hundred feet long and fifty feet across — said 
to be cut into the solid stone in lines to the 
depth of a foot deep and a yard wide. It is 
called "The Miraculous Candlestick," and pi- 
ous Catholics say that St. James dropped it 



48 WHAT A WOMAN SAW 

when he came to Peru at the time the Span- 
iards were driving the Incas out. No one 
knows its origin. The oldest sailor on the coast 
says that when he was a boy the oldest man he 
knew could not tell from whence it came. 

In the interior of Peru is the imprint of a 
human foot as long as a pikestaff. It is sup- 
posed to mark where the Apostle alighted when 
he dropped from Heaven to aid in the subjuga- 
tion of the heathen and the triumph of the 
Cross. 

We enjoyed a swim at Chorillas, even though 
our rented bathing suits would have led an 
onlooker to believe we had robbed the beds of 
mattress covers, and afterward had breakfast 
in a charming little arbor at Barranca where the 
walls of the garden were painted to represent 
sea waves. There we had the birds for orches- 
tra and a funny waddling old Indian chola 
waited on us. We chose a different route to 
return to Lima — a trolley running along in the 
shadow of towering mountains at whose base 
nestled tiny villages surrounded by green pas- 
tures divided by low zig-zagging dirt walls in 



IN SOUTH AMERICA 49 

whose crevices- vines and wild flowers had tak- 
en root; then close to an Inca burial ground as 
yet unopened, and on through a beautiful 
residential section of the city to our hotel. 

In order to be present at the opening of some 
Inca graves we joined a "Resurrection Party" 
to Santa Clara — a small town up the Oroyo 
Railroad, which is counted as the eighth won- 
der of the world. It cost Peru seven thousand 
lives during the seven years the road was under 
construction. The Inca dead were prepared 
after a manner similar to that of ancient 
Egypt and are perfectly preserved. The body 
was buried in a sitting posture, knees drawn up 
under the chin and the arms clasped about the 
legs. Wrappings of cloth were fastened by 
ropes about the corpse, and within the tomb 
were placed jewelry, implements and uten- 
sils, and other articles of personal property 
which would equip the spirit for life in the oth- 
er world. It is believed that the eyes of the 
dead were replaced by those of cuttle-fish 
or squibs and the natural eyeballs preserved 
from decay by some peculiar method. In 



50 WHAT A WOMAN SAW 

many graves these mummified eyeballs are 
found. Enterprising venders of curios set 
them in silver mountings for pins. These 
unique ornaments may be purchased at un- 
scrupulous prices in many of the shops. The 
mummies are in as good condition after the 
lapse of centuries as though interred only yes- 
terday. Gold and silver jewelry, cups of ancient 
design, weapons, water-jugs, and other curios- 
ities are discovered in the tombs and are the 
delight of antiquarians and relic-hunters. 
We spent an afternoon at the Zoo, another 
at the Botanical Gardens, and visited the Mu- 
seum where there is a wonderful collection 
of Inca treasures and interesting specimens of 
"Knot Writing." The Incas had no alphabet, 
but their Amantas (learned men) kept a metho- 
dical record of events, accounts, history, etc., 
by means of the "Quippi," which are cords of 
twisted wool fastened to a base prepared for 
the purpose. The cords are of various sizes 
and colors and each size and color had its own 
special meaning, when tied in an elaborate 
system of entwining intricate knots. All the 



IN SOUTH AMERICA 51 

history, poems, songs, religion, superstition, 
etc., of that ancient race are contained within 
those knots and twists, but as yet no one has 
been able to discover their key, and until that 
is found the lives of that remarkable people 
must remain a secret. Very little is known 
about them, but they have left behind every 
evidence of having been a highly civilized 
race, and each year greater numbers of histori- 
ans and antiquarians are flocking to Peru to 
study the land and the ruins of the cities 
where the Incas lived, loved, worked and died. 

Our hotel was close by the great Cathedral 
built by Pizarro in 1535. We had a peep at 
his mummified remains which are religiously 
preserved in a glass case under the high altar 
with his heart in a red glass bottle at his feet. 
The room in the palace whence he made his 
exit from this life is still exhibited to curious 
travellers willing to pay a few centavos for the 
privilege of gazing at the blood-stained floor. 
The dull spots look suspiciously like a recent 
application of red ink. 

The cemetery at Lima is well worth a visit, 



52 WHAT A WOMAN SAW 

It reminds one of the "Campo Santo" at Pisa, 
but is more artistically laid out in a forest of 
shrubs and trees interspersed with well kept 
. grass plots and flower-beds among which are 
set exquisitely wrought statues, obelisks, rich- 
ly sculptured marble tombs and fine monu- 
ments. The dead lie in four-tiered marble and 
cement houses, one casket in a division, the 
end sealed and ornamented with various deco- 
rations encircling the name of the occupant 
and hung with a variety of offerings placed 
there by the family and friends. There are 
photos, wreathes of artificial flowers and rib- 
bons, toys, beads threaded on wire, books, — in 
fact all sorts of little nothings, yet at every step 
one sees something that stirs the heart to pity 
for the bereaved. Coffin spaces are rented by 
the year, and if the money is not forthcoming 
at the very moment it is due, the compartment 
is opened, the body dumped unceremoniously 
on the ground, and if not claimed within six 
hours, is carted off to the Potter's Field and 
thrown into a deep pit with a sifting of quick- 
lime. 



IN SOUTH AMERICA 53 

The policemen of Lima have such a fondness 
for sleep that the most atrocious crimes were 
committed under their very noses without dis- 
turbing their slumbers. Now the Government 
provides every man with a whistle and a lan- 
tern. With the former he is obliged to signal 
every three minutes to the officer on the next 
beat, and change the position of his lantern 
every fifteen minutes, thus displaying a differ- 
ent colored light at each turn. Inspectors 
appear at most unexpected moments to see 
that whistles and lanterns are properly oper- 
ated, so there is not much chance now for naps 
while on duty. 

Milk is peddled about Lima by women who 
ride astride morose donkeys, with a battered 
tin can hanging in front of each of their knees. 
She heralds her approach by a peculiar shrill 
nasal cry, which is recognized by the house- 
holders and they emerge with jugs for the daily 
supply of milk. 

All of the benevolent institutions of Lima 
are supported by the"Sociedad Beneficencio," 
which is composed of prominent citizens who 



54 WHAT A WOMAN SAW 

raise money by subscriptions, cock-fights, 
lotteries and bull-fights, the latter being the 
most popular. It was amusing to read the 
placards announcing an unusually attractive 
bull-fight given the Sunday previous to our 
arrival in Lima, for the benefit of the Society 
for Prevention of Cruelty to Animals. At this 
"humane affair" seven bulls and fifteen horses 
were slaughtered, and a large sum of money 
was received for the Society to use in the "pre- 
vention of cruelty." 

At present Moving Pictures, or as they are 
called here, "Cinema pathe," are the rage of the 
hour and patronized extensively by all classes 
and conditions. One house has interspersed 
the films with variety acts so "risque" that the 
city officials require a statement made in all 
the advertisements that "it is a scandalous 
performance." Yet the place is allowed to 
run and is packed to the doors. 

It is astonishing how many idle people are 
seen, all doing nothing and day after day the 
same ones are in the same place, dreaming and 
smoking and resting, apparently "able to live 



IN SOUTH AMERICA 55 

on nothing and find themselves." Very few 
can boast of pure blood. Their only ambition 
is to turn white, and a person with no taint of 
black blood is the object of much envy. The 
women of the middle classes paint their hair 
brown and use enough liquid white face-wash 
to keep a drug-store well stocked. The result 
is a very odd appearance, especially where white 
paint and dark skin meet. There are many 
beautiful women among the wealthy class who 
are blessed with clear olive skin and wonderful 
black eyes. They spend nearly half their time 
in Paris and appear garbed in the very latest 
French creations. 

It is only at mass and other church services 
that these spoiled darlings wear the "mantua" 
and then rich and poor alike appear with the 
graceful soft shawl draped about the head in such 
manner as to conceal all of the face except the 
eyes. The custom of wearing the mantua is 
said to have originated with the Incas. They 
wore them in all colors of the prism until the 
assassination of their king Atahualpa, and then 
every woman put on a black mantua. Since 



56 WHAT A WOMAN SAW 

that time the mantuas have always been black, 
a permanent mourning for the "Last of the In- 
cas." 

Many strange names are heard in these Lat- 
in countries, but even after a long residence it 
is difficult for a stranger to become accustomed 
to seeing the name of "Jesus" displayed on 
door-plates and signs. It is one of the most 
common names here, and there is "Jesus the 
Shoemaker," "Jesus the Cartman," "Jesus the 
Porter," and we were introduced to a man nam- 
ed "Jesus Nazaro." 

"Agua Jesus" (Jesus Water) is a highly 
carbonated water from a famous spring near 
Arequipa, a town whose name signifies "Place 
of rest." We liked it until we learned that 
invalids bathe in the exhilarating, effervescing 
pool of the spring. 

This coast is an ever-shifting kaleideoscope. 
Schools of porpoises go cavorting by; sea-lions 
bob up and down; whales playfully "lay the 
dust" by spouting briney spray high into the 
air; occasionally an open-countenanced shark 
appears with his broad smile that says he hopes 



IN SOUTH AMERICA 57 

some doubting Thomas may wish to try the 
"Jonah method" of navigation. There are 
great flocks of birds — thousands of them — 
skimming along in search of food and 
dropping like bullets straight down into 
the water when their keen eyes discover 
an unsuspecting fish swimming along. 
And always the wonderful mountains rising 
straight up from the sea until lost in the 
clouds. The bare brown sides are almost de- 
void of vegetation and assume all sorts of fan- 
tastic shapes. Surely the illustrator of Dan- 
te's "Inferno" must have visited South Amer- 
ica before making his drawings. There are 
mysterious gullies, dark gorges, and yawning 
chasms worn smooth by the sliding sands that 
come rushing down from the plateau above. 
There are enough ragged, jagged needle-pointed 
rocks to furnish a special seat for each con- 
demned sinner; while the scarcity of water 
quite coincides with the tales of everlasting 
thirst. Nowhere else is there so rugged a 
coast, yet its very awesomeness fascinates. 
Sometimes the ship turns into harbors 



58 WHAT A WOMAN SAW 

where forlorn little towns are almost hidden be- 
hind sea-walls and dunes of sand. We see 
trains of llamas that climb circuitous routes 
into the interior carrying food and water to the 
mining settlements far back among the hills. 
It is said of the llamas, or mountain camels, 
that "these gifted animals can live on nothing 
and by digesting it several times exist 
for days." They will carry a load of just one 
hundred pounds^-not a bit more — and will lie 
down and absolutely refuse to move until the 
overweight is removed. 

They are the only beasts of burden that can 
be used in these rugged Andes, where food and 
water are so scarce and footing so precarious 
that even the nimble little burros are unable 
to go where these chamois-like creatures safely 
climb. They have long slender necks, pointed 
ears, soft restless eyes, and quivering lips and 
are generally a dark brown color with patches 
of white, but sometimes entirely white. They 
are usually of a good disposition and when hurt 
will shed tears, but if angry will spit a 
brownish yellow saliva that has a disagreeable 



IN SOUTH AMERICA 59 

smell. Blood poisoning frequently results from 
the effects of this spittle, and the drivers take 
good care to keep out of reach of an enraged 
llama. Llama excrement is extensively used 
for fuel throughout South America. When sun- 
dried and formed into little cakes it is called 
"Taquia." 

These mountain passes reach very near the 
clouds, and one mountain explorer told me that 
on several occasion he had encountered the 
feet of angels hanging down from Heaven and 
had to tickle their soles before they would 
draw them up and not impede progress. 

One drawback that deters many from an 
Andes trip is "siroche," or "mountain fever," 
caused by the rarified air of extreme elevations. 
It is attended by distressing nausea, numbness 
of the limbs, faintness, profuse bleeding from 
the nose and ears, and difficulty in breathing. 
Unless the patient is soon removed to a lower 
altitude, death is apt to result. 

In the neighborhood of Tambo de Mora 
many balsas and catamarans are seen. A bal- 
sa is a queer shaped double canoe made of infla- 



6o WHAT A WOMAN SAW 

ted seal-skins. Across the stern, wielding huge 
paddles, men sit astride, their feet dangling 
in the water. The catamarans are fishing 
rafts constructed by lashing large sticks of 
bamboo together by means of rushes; on these 
the fishermen stand, oftimes with feet and even 
knees submerged in water. These strange 
crafts look most unseaworthy, but are often 
sighted as far as fifteen miles from shore. 

There was little to see at Pisca or Chala, but 
from the busy port of Mollendo is begun the 
trip into one of the most interesting sections of 
the continent — the great plateau regions of 
Bolivia and Peru known as "The Roof of the 
World." 

It is only during recent years that Cuzco 
can be reached by train. Arriving there one 
thinks himself in another world. The inhabi- 
tants are Quichas, who are descendants of 
the people over whom the Incas ruled. They 
have innumerable feasts and carnivals and on 
such occasions most interesting things are seen. 
The costumes worn on gala days by the women 
are marvels to behold. They appear in skirts 



IN SOUTH AMERICA 61 

of red, blue, pink, yellow and other hues worn 
one on top of the other, sometimes to the num- 
ber of a dozen, little round hats, bright 
bodices and shawls. When fortunate 
enough to possess shoes they put them on 
without stockings, being careful to remove 
them if walking where they might become 
soiled. The men wear knitted caps and pon- 
choes, which are square pieces of coarse cloth 
woven from alpacca or vicuna wool, with an 
opening left in the center to allow the head to 
slip through. Trousers slit to the knee and 
ear-laps complete the costume.. 

Many of the houses are built on the old Inca 
masonry, and the joints made without the use 
of mortar or cement are still perfect. Some of 
these old ruins contain massive stones fifteen to 
twenty feet long and ten to twelve feet thick. 
How they could have been brought to their 
present sites from a great distance without the 
help of engines or cranes (of which the Incas 
had none) is as great a mystery as how the 
stones of the pyramids of Egypt were lifted in- 
to place. Very interesting ruins are found 



62 WHAT A WOMAN SAW 

everywhere in this region. The most marvelous 
are those of the "Temple of the Sun," where 
the conquering Spaniards found untold treas- 
ures of gold; the old Convent with its strange 
images of the "God of Earthquakes;" and the 
"Fortress." 

There is a peculiar fascination about the 
"Desert of Islay" with its moving crescents of 
sand, its sugar plantations in the oasis, and 
glimpses of the great El Misti volcano rising 
in perfect cone shape 19,173 feet above the sea. 

The fifteen hour trip across Lake Titicaca — 
the highest navigable lake in the world — is 
most enjoyable, even though one has to literally 
sit on one's luggage to prevent its being stolen. 
There is a spice of danger when La Paz is reach- 
ed and the visitor is let down into the city by 
means of an electric car, which drops passen- 
gers and freight over the rim of the mountain 
straight down into the heart of the town, 
14,000 feet below. 

In the virgin forests of the Amazon roam 
many strange tribes of Indians. The Jivaros, 
or Red Indians, have the custom of waging war 



IN SOUTH AMERICA 63 

on other tribes to secure human heads. By a 
carefully guarded secret process known only to 
them the heads are reduced to the size of a large 
orange and worn as belt ornaments. The more 
such heads dangled by a warrior the greater 
his fame. The remarkable thing about these 
heads is that although so greatly diminished in 
size, the features are perfectly retained and pre- 
served — most ghastly-looking objects. The 
long black hair of their conquered foes is braid- 
ed into girdles and worn as mementos of prowess. 
So fiercely do the warriors guard their trophies 
it is next to impossible to secure one, but in 
the museum at Lima is the head of a woman 
that is considered a remarkable specimen. It 
is uncanny in its hideousness and the wizened, 
shrivelled face haunts me. 

The Cichua Indians found in the section 
about Cochabamba (a city in Bolivia), fur- 
nish a popular drink from which the Govern- 
ment derives an annual revenue of #40,000 
(#16,000 gold). It is called "chicha" and is 
made from "muco," a mixture of chewed corn 
and water, and the natives hold great festivals 



64 WHAT A WOMAN SAW 

at the time of its making. Those having the 
best teeth take a mouthful of corn which they 
masticate to a pulp and then eject into a trough 
from which it is transferred to jars containing 
water and left to ferment. In Peru the chicha 
is made from chewed yucca instead of 
corn. 

The tribe of Orejons (Big Ears) insert disks 
of wood in their ears to enlarge them, and they 
achieve such proportons, that it is said an "Or- 
ejon lies down on one ear and covers himself 
over with the other." 

Some of the Indian women, when tired of 
their husbands, give them an infusion of flori- 
pondio (seed of Datura Sanguinea), which 
renders them idiotic and the wives are thus 
left free to choose a new consort. Several 
instances are known where the first husband 
has served as a slave to his successor. 
f One peculiar custom among all the tribes is 
I that of a woman going alone to the woods to be 
delivered of her child, and after bathing herself 
and the new born babe in the waters of a 
stream she returns to her home, assists her hus- 



IN SOUTH AMERICA 65 

band to bed, and for eight days she serves him 
with the choicest procurable dainties. 

Some of the burial customs are very odd. 
When a Napu Indian dies his widow is imme- 
diately taken to the river and washed. His 
dead body is then placed in a coffin made from 
a canoe with a lid of bamboo sticks, and a kind 
of "Irish wake" is held. Attired in their best 
garments, with elaborate head-dresses of rich- 
ly colored feathers from the breast of the tou- 
can, and surmounted by the long feathers of 
the macaw, and adorned with necklaces of 
beads, seeds, monkey teeth, etc., the friends 
and kinsfolk gather at the house of mourning. 
There, to the tapping of drums they trot for 
hours in a circle, stopping only to refresh them- 
selves with drinks of chicha. 

The people about Quito bury their dead at 
night. The corpse is placed in a sitting posi- 
tion in a chair and, preceded by lantern car- 
riers, is borne to the grave while plaintive dirges 
are sung. If the family is rich the body is 
embalmed and kept about the house. At one 
ranch we saw the mummified body of the old 



66 WHAT A WOMAN SAW 

grandfather seated in a corner of the living 
room, and the son proudly announced that in 
the ten years since his father died he had never 
yet failed to provide the corpse with at least one 
new suit annually. 

Taltal is a place so insignificant it would be 
found only on navigation maps, but it nestles 
under the shadow of mountains on whose tops 
the snow never melts, and whose forbidding 
aspect attracts while it repels. 

Some of the passengers who came aboard 
there looked indigenous to the soil and carried 
a liberal portion of it on their persons. A wom- 
an came up the ladder balancing a sewing-ma- 
chine on her head, carrying a market basket 
in one hand and leading two goats and a fer- 
ocious looking bulldog. She stowed herself 
away in a sunny corner of the steerage deck 
and was soon sweetly sleeping with her head 
on the machine, the precious basket in her lap 
and the menagerie grouped about watching 
over her slumbers. Near her a Chilian swain 
made "goo-goo eyes" at a maiden whose natu- 
ral complexion was swathed in several boxes 



IN SOUTH AMERICA 67 

of pearl powder most brazenly applied over 
her ebony skin, and the line where black met 
white was discernible even across the deck. 

There has not been a drop of rain in Lima 
for over forty years, and the people rely en- 
tirely on the heavy dews and irrigation, but 
we revel in all sorts of fruit at once — alligator 
pears, plums, raspberries, bald-headed peaches, 
melons, pears, etc. The fruit and vegetables 
that grow close to the ground, such as straw- 
berries, lettuce, etc. are never eaten (by for- 
eigners) uncooked on account of the typhoid 
germs lurking in the irrigation water. 

Thirty-five years ago when a treaty of peace 
was signed between Chili and Peru, one of the 
terms was that Chili should for twenty-five 
years hold possession of the rich nitrate fields 
that lie as boundary between the two countries, 
and at the expiration of that time cede them 
back to Peru. Ten years have now elapsed 
since the allotted time, and despite Peru's 
efforts to regain her rightful property, Chili 
refuses to give it up, and both countries are 
busily engaged in preparing for war. Our 



68 WHAT A WOMAN SAW 

ship brought a large number of Peruvian con- 
scripts down to the border, and from Ilo boats 
were sent out and they were quietly landed 
under the shadow of darkness. Most of them 
were poor farmer lads who had been ruthlessly 
snatched from their quiet rustic life, yet they 
felt very proud and important in their new 
uniform and seemed confident of gaining easy 
victories over their enemies. Outsiders look 
at them in pity, for poor little Peru does not 
seem to have much chance against stronger 
Chili. 

Ilo, the most southern port in Peru, is 
noted for the quality of its sulphur and the 
large amount annually exported. For four 
hours our big steamer, the "Oronsa," stowed 
away sacks of this inflammable commodity as 
fast as the crew could handle it from lighters 
along side the ship. Occasionally a bag would 
burst and soon the floor of the hold was thickly 
covered with the sulphur, and so were we. 
The sulphur dust arose in thick clouds to the 
upper deck and in half an hour we had inhaled 
enough to render us immune from diphtheria 



IN SOUTH AMERICA 69 

for the remainder of our lives. As Doctor 
withdrew to the rail he thoughtlessly lighted 
a pipe and threw the match overboard To 
our dismay it was caught by the breeze and 
blown straight into that part of the ship intend- 
ed only for sulphur. Fortunately the match 
fell on a big sack that was still in the embrace 
of the derrick. A sputtering tongue of blue 
flame shot up on the instant. The eagle eye 
of the officer in charge took in the situation at 
a glance. He gave a loud "oathy order" — 
"Hoist that sack over board." The order 
was obeyed in half the time it takes to tell it, 
and the flaming sack hissed its way to the bot- 
tom of the sea. My heart was in my mouth, 
but I had the presence of mind to swallow it, 
and presumably Doctor his pipe also. At 
any rate it was out of sight when the officer 
turned to us to find out what became of the man 
who set the ship on fire. We assisted him in 
his search, but we never found out and the affair 
still remains a mystery. 

Arica is a straggling little village hardly 
worth mentioning, but we had a refreshing 



70 WHAT A WOMAN SAW 

lunch at a pavilion built out over the sea where 
we could watch the bathers enjoying the surf, 
and marvel at the rocky precipice over which 
General Bolognesi dashed when he found him- 
self defeated. It is now being made into a 
fortress that already looks as if it might be as 
impregnable as Gibraltar. 

Iquique is the great nitrate port of the world. 
Soon after the ship anchored we were in a small 
boat bobbing merrily over a terrific swell through 
a forest of sailing vessels waiting to convey the 
rich cargo to all parts of the world. It was a 
full half hour before we reached the shore, not 
counting the time occupied by an attempt to 
photograph several millions of ducks, gulls 
and pelicans that have for years congregated 
on the sea-wall and rocks in the harbor. A 
municipal regulation requires all the houses 
made of wood to be painted on the eighteenth 
day of September, which is the national inde- 
pendence day, and as a result the town looks 
clean and well kept. The tram-cars are lu- 
dicrous affairs with canopy tops and narrow 
seats into which only four people can possibly 



IN SOUTH AMERICA 71 

squeeze. They are presided over by women 
conductors beside whose attire that of Sis Hop- 
kins would sink into utter insignificance. 
The custom of having women conductors dates 
from the time of the last war, when all the men 
were away fighting and the cars had to either 
stop running or be run by women. The exper- 
iment was tried and the women hired at the 
munificent salary of fifteen dollars per month. 
They proved so satisfactory that they are still 
retained and the men must seek other employ- 
ment. They are most obliging and when we 
signified our wish to go out to Cavanche, where 
a wonderful surf comes roaring in upon a pic- 
turesque shore, we were taken by a circuitous 
route through the town and out to a new hospital 
situated in a bleak, unprepossessing location 
lonely enough to make even a well person ill. 
Protesting that that was not the place we desir- 
ed to visit our conductress replied that "having 
perceived us to be strangers (wise woman) 
she thought it much better for us to see the 
only new building erected in the town for many 
years instead of wasting our time on mere seen- 



72 WHAT A WOMAN SAW 

ery." It was only after one of our party who 
spoke Spanish fluently had said things that 
would not look well in print that we succeeded 
in being directed to the "mere scenery," which 
we found well worth all our trouble. 

We reached Antofogasta just before sunset, 
in time to see the fishing fleets go out, and very 
pretty they looked bowing and curtesying on 
the waves like partners in a quadrille, and then 
flitting straight out toward the west, their 
sails giving them the appearance of great white 
butterflies fluttering toward the golden sun 
that was dropping over the horizon. 



CHAPTER III. 

VALPARAISO— SANTIAGO— VINA DEL 
MAR— TROPEDERAS— LOTA. 

Valparaiso (Valley of Paradise) — founded 
in 1536 by Juan de Saavedra — is an impressive 
city as it climbs terrace above terrace on the 
circular rim of a great bay, which is very beau- 
tiful yet one of the most dangerous in the world. 
When a storm creeps down from the north and 
lashes the water into a turbulent, tossing whirl- 
pool the waves often wash up over the three 
storied buildings along the quay and cause 
great ruin and loss of life. The approach 
of a "northerner" strikes terror to the heart of 
sailors and the ships within the harbor at once 
weigh anchor and hasten out to sea to remain 
until the storm has subsided. 

Valparaiso is built in sections one above the 
other on narrow ledges, like pantry shelves, 
73 



74 WHAT A WOMAN SAW 

against the mountain side, and the ascent from 
lower to upper is made by means of ascenseurs, 
or elevators, that run on cables and keep the 
passenger wondering where he would stop 
should anything chance to give way or work 
wrong. It is a city of contradictions. Beau- 
tiful palaces loom next door to tumble-down, 
soot-covered hovels; gardens filled with rare 
exotics overlook pig-stys and stables; fine turn- 
outs with "snifty" coachmen and footmen are 
apt to follow in the train of a dirty "chola" 
carrying a couple of live pigs tied by the legs 
to a bamboo stick swung over his shoulder — per- 
haps in company with some squawking hens pro- 
testing loudly against travelling to market in 
so ignominious a fashion, if one judges by the 
vigor of the squawks that punctuate the air. 

Animals are shamefully abused, and only 
within the last few months have the united 
efforts of the American and English residents 
succeeded in securing any assistance from the 
government in punishing the offenders. Sharp 
spurs are used unmercifully, and many of the 
animals have been blinded by the stinging 






1. A Valparaiso Shanty 3. A Bullock Team 

2. Milking Corner in Valparaiso 4. A Santiago Tram 

5. Entrance to Santa Lucia Park 



IN SOUTH AMERICA 77 

lashes of whips swung continuously by the dri- 
vers. 

It is astonishing what great weights the hor- 
ses and mules carry. Families load all their 
earthly possessions on the backs of their beasts 
of burden, and horses are often seen staggering 
under household goods piled upon them. Ve- 
hicles cannot reach the upper town, as the as- 
cent is too steep for wheels, so all the carrying 
is done by the horses, mules and burros. 
The carriages used to convey people about the 
lower town are ramshackle affairs, and there is 
constant danger that the wobbly wheels will 
suddenly decide to roll alone, or that the shaky 
top where the ever busy moth has made several 
full meals will cave in. We took our lives in 
our hands and braved these dangers enough 
times to visit the suburbs and parks not access- 
ible by "jardineras" (trams). There is an 
excellent service of these, and one who dares 
pocket his pride and climb up on top to the 
section allotted to working men is much more 
comfortable than below, where the car is stuffy 
and crowded, besides having a wide view in all 



7 8 WHAT A WOMAN SAW 

directions. Like most of these southern cities 
Valparaiso has woman conductors, and street- 
car riding is a popular amusement among the 
young dandies. Those who most frequently 
indulge in flirtations with the conductresses 
are called "Mosquitos" — probably because 
they swarm so thickly and are such a nuisance. 

There are several hospitals where Doctor 
was courteously shown the method employed 
here in caring for the sick. 

We left cards at the American Legation and 
found our Minister a delightful person; wander- 
ed through the shops ; bathed in the surf at Vina 
del Mar, a fashionable suburb to which all the 
"beau-monde" from the interior flock during 
the summer months; attended the horse races 
that here replace the cruel bull-fights of Peru, 
and enjoyed several sunsets from the prome- 
nade in front of the Naval Academy, where a 
fine view is to be had of the entire city and bay. 
These southern sunsets are wonderful. The 
sky gleams with all the tints of early autumn 
leaves, streamers of opalescent light wave and 
flutter among rose-tipped clouds, or run down 



IN SOUTH AMERICA 79 

into the water like roads of light to the under- 
world, while overhead shines a rainbow of far 
more vivid hues than ours of the north. 

In company with some American mission- 
aries to whom we had letters of introduction, 
we enjoyed several picnics. One out to Trop- 
ederas, where are the quarters of the militia, 
was especially interesting, as we chanced to 
choose the hour of drill for the time of our visit. 
On the way home we passed several funeral pro- 
cessions, one hearse containing three tiny cas- 
kets. It is customary among the poor here to 
notify the undertaker of the death of a child, 
and he arranges with other families similarity 
bereaved for a joint funeral. Thus expense is 
saved. The premature departure of an infant 
from this "vale of tears" is not an occasion for 
grief. Mothers believe the little souls go di- 
rectly to Paradise, and when one dies it is spok- 
en of as an "Angelito." The neighbors are 
invited in to rejoice, drink "chicha," and dance 
the "Zama-Cuaca" (pronounced "quak-eh"), 
the national dance. 

There is an appalling infant mortality here, 



80 WHAT A WOMAN SAW 

and according to latest statistics (1909) in a 
population of 106,546 children under one year 
of age there were 40,767 deaths in the year, or 
38 3-10 in each one hundred. The poor little 
things receive almost no care, and when unfor- 
tunate enough to live "just come up." The 
sanitary conditions are such that the most 
loathsome diseases prevail. Children are forc- 
ed to work at an early age, the parents taking 
the wages to spend for drink and tobacco. All 
.young men are obliged to serve three years in 
the army, and some parents have sunk to such 
depths of degradation that when a male child 
is born they maim or cripple it in some way so 
that it will be exempt from drafting, and there- 
fore they will not be deprived of its earnings. 
One case on record related to me by a lady 
whose word is unimpeachable seems almost 
beyond belief. For several days a mission- 
ary's wife was disturbed by the incessant 
wailing of a babe in a hovel near the Mission- 
House. When no longer able to endure the 
pitiful cries which daily grew weaker, she went 
to the place but was denied admittance. 



\ 



IN SOUTH AMERICA 



At last through the help of some Christian na- 
tives she succeeded in seeing thebaby, and to her 
horror found the child's eyes smeared with hon- 
ey and covered with the half shells of English 
walnuts over which swarmed myriads of ants. 
The poor little sufferer's eyes were literally be- 
ing eaten away. And all this agony was caused 
by the inhuman parents, that the child might 
be sent to sit by the road-side a blind beggar, 
and by the alms given it through sympathy for 
its affliction, support its lazy, healthy, barbarous 
projenitors in drunken idleness. This case is 
only one of many that are constantly being dis- 
covered by the band of noble men and women 
who have come here to try to better the condi- 
tion of these people. Beggars are numerous and 
are said to make a better living than the ordin- 
ary workmen. 

The poorer class of people in Valparaiso build 
their houses with flat roofs. These serve the 
purpose of barn-yards and henneries. Many 
cows are taken to these roofs when calves, and 
spend all their days peacefully chewing their 
cud while gazing o'er the adjoining roofs, and 



82 WHAT A WOMAN SAW 

never come down until they descend in the form 
of fresh beef. 

Novel sights are always sure to be seen in the 
public markets, but those who visit them need 
a generous supply of eau-de-cologne and a 
strong stomach. It is a fine sight to see the 
fresh fruits and vegetables piled high in the 
different stalls, and also to visit the department 
where native laces, scarfs, towels, etc., are ex- 
hibited for sale. There are baskets of all sorts 
and shapes and sizes; fairy-like lace woven by 
the Indian women; gay colored ponchos; 
leather work of every description from the in- 
tricately woven riding whip to elaborately 
tooled saddles ;mantuas;buck-skin leggings with 
fancy fringes, etc., etc. Nearly every tourist 
buys some of the fascinating gourds (cuias) and 
earthen cups from which is drunk the favorite 
South American beverage known as "mate" 
or "paraguian tea." This is prepared by 
placing the crushed leaves of the "Yerbales" 
or Yerba tree (a species of holley), in a "cuia" 
(cup) and pouring over them a small amount 
of boiling water. The concoction is imbibed 



IN SOUTH AMERICA 83 

through a long hollow stemmed spoon called 
the "bombilla," and it is customary to pass the 
same cup and spoon to all the members of a 
party, a not over-sanitary proceeding. 
When one has his own outfit the drink is very 
refreshing and possesses great medicinal prop- 
erties, serving as a tonic as well as a social brew. 
Milk is one of the real luxuries of Chili, and 
butter costs such fabulous prices that hotels 
charge for a second helping. As the first piece 
is of infinitesimal proportion the uninformed 
tourist who has always been accustomed to 
liberal portions at any and all times, is thun- 
derstruck when the bill is presented and he 
finds that he has been "eating money." It is 
almost impossible to get pure milk, as the deal- 
ers adulterate it with water and magnesia. 
Some of them advertise to "deliver milk at the 
customer's domicile either on the hoof or by 
the litre." For those desiring the former, at 
five o'clock each morning a herd of cows, asses, 
goats attended by their little ones, each wearing 
an uncomfortable looking cloth muzzle, are 
driven to certain squares in the city and the 



84 WHAT A WOMAN SAW 

purchasers go with their bowl or pitcher and 
watch while the milking is done into their own 
receptacles. Even then they must watch closely 
or the milk will be watered by means of an 
ingeniously arranged rubber tube running 
from a concealed water-bag down the inside of 
the milker's arm and joining the lacteal fluid 
on its way to the dish. Pure milk costs eighty 
cents per litre, but milk delivered at the door 
"no questions asked" can be had for twenty- 
five cents. 

Foreigners in South America are called "Grin- 
goes." The word originated when a party of 
drunken English sailors marched through the 
streets of Valparaiso singing "Green grow the 
rushes, Oh!" When relating the disgraceful 
scene a Chilian, unable to speak the English 
name of the song, described it as "something 
about grin-go-es, or grin-grows," and the name 
has clung ever since. 

Yesterday we joined the (earthquake) shak- 
ers and were well "churned"by an earthquake. 
Not knowing that the proper thing to do was to 
stand under the arch of a window or door, we 



IN SOUTH AMERICA 85 

simply shook, and were not sorry when Mother 
Earth resumed her steady way through space. 
Another of shorter duration this morning found 
us less alarmed, but earthquakes are undesir- 
able novelties, even for the jaded tourists in 
search of a new sensation. The slogan at 
Valparaiso seems to be "Eat, drink and be mer- 
ry for tomorrow we may be swallowed by an 
earthquake." 

Santiago is a splendid city, comparing fav- 
orably with modern European cities. Leaving 
the station here the train followed the line of 
the bay as far as Vina del Mar, and thence 
turned inland across open levels blazing with 
gold-colored poppies and embroidered with 
millions of our well known dandelions. We flew 
past stations where morning-glories, (which 
here blossom all day,) run riot over the build- 
ings and wind their tendrils high up around 
the tree-trunks and among the branches, mak- 
ing them look like huge bouquets; then came 
five tunnels. We crossed yawning gullies 
and awesome gulches, where giant cacti nod and 
sway in the wind and forests of yucca palms 



86 WHAT A WOMAN SAW 

raise their spikes of white blossoms amid deso- 
lation so vast that we wondered if the foot of 
man had ever trod there. And ever up, up, up, 
sometimes hugging the edge of precipices thous- 
ands of feet high, like flies on a cornice; and 
on into the very heart of the Andes. A bridge 
spans the usually turbulent Anconcagua river, 
which is now so diminished by recent droughts 
that it does not seem possible that the tiny 
stream through an oasis of slimy mud could ever 
have worn away the towering walls of rock and 
made a bed for itself. A gentleman sitting 
near explained that for about a month each 
summer the river is low, but during the rest of 
the year is usually over a mile wide and rushes 
and rolls its troubled gray waters along its 
deep bed with great velocity. Each twist and 
turn of the road gave us new views of the high- 
est peak on the western hemisphere — Ancon- 
cagua; wrapped in eternal snow its topmost 
peak is lost among the clouds 22,420 feet above 
the sea. 

At the stations women came to the car win- 
dows selling fruit, little cheese-cakes made from 



IN SOUTH AMERICA 87 

goats milk; bread baked in the ashes of the out- 
door ovens extensively used here; chorizo — a 
sort of sausage overseasoned with red pepper 
and sure to burn the throat; freshly caught 
fish "peccares" taken from the cool mountain 
streams; and best of all "empanadas," fluffy 
brown-crusted onion and egg turnovers which 
are delicious, but very rich. Once we were for- 
tunate enough to stop near a wheat field where 
the crop, which had previously been spread out 
on a level part of the ground, was threshed out 
by groups of from twenty-five to thirty horses 
driven round and round upon it. They were 
frequently replaced by fresh horses. When 
the grain is free from the husks it is shoveled 
and reshoveled into piles until the wind has 
blown away all the chaff, and then it is gathered 
into bags for market. 

Not at all fatigued after a six hour ride (in a 
coach made in St. Louis, Missouri) we reached 
Santiago, lying in tropical splendor while sur- 
rounded by snow-capped mountains. It is a 
city of more than half a million souls, and boasts 
more beautiful parks and more cases of small- 



88 WHAT A WOMAN SAW 

pox than any other city on this terrestrial ball. 

Strangers are always charmed with Santiago, 
especially the broad avenue of the Alameda 
lined with fine poplars, acacias, and eucalyptus 
interspersed with palms and ornamented by 
numerous statues of the country's heroes and 
patriots. Every afternoon about four the 
street is resplendent with many equipages con- 
taining gaily dressed occupants. There is a 
constant stream of carriages, caballeros with 
silver stirrups and gorgeous saddles, and an 
occasional motor-car chuggs along in a cloud 
of smoke that would not be tolerated in New 
York, but here the auto is a great luxury ob- 
tainable only by the very rich and therefore 
its short-comings are overlooked. In shady 
spots along the avenue carriages are drawn up 
to the curb that the ladies may chat with their 
friends, but never may one bow or speak to a 
man unless he first salutes her. 

Almost in the center of the city rises a rocky 
hill called Santa Lucia which at great cost, has 
been converted into an elaborate park conspic- 
uous for its beauty. We strolled under the 



IN SOUTH AMERICA 89 

shade of its great trees, through cool grottoes, 
among beds of rare flowers, gradually ascending 
rock hewn steps until we reached the summit 
and there gazed in wonder at the wide spread 
scene below us. Not only the entire city with 
its graceful towering spires, marble-paved 
plazas, and artistic homes lay glistening in the 
brilliant sunshine, but miles of beautiful valley 
stretched away and melted into the haze of the 
distant west. It is dotted with groves and vine- 
yards and interlaced by the winding tributar- 
ies of the Mariposa river, whose waters are div- 
erted from their channel into narrow canals and 
thence through the gutters that act as sewers 
for the city. Although founded in 1541 there 
has never been any other method of getting rid 
of the offal, and the horror of it can better be 
imagined when one learns that during the dry 
season the water supply is cut off from the 
streets in the poorer sections and the mortality 
at such times is almost beyond belief. It is 
impossible to describe the filth, the stench, the 
suffering, or the utter hopelessness of the strug- 
gle for existence under such conditions. 



9 o WHAT A WOMAN SAW 

Despite the efforts of the authorities, it seems 
impossible to compel the people to report cases, 
or prevent the intermingling of the infected with 
their family and friends. We had an example 
of this one evening when our car was stalled 
on our way to an old convent famous for the 
beauty of its surroundings. The moon gave 
just enough light to show that we were in front 
of a lonely cemetery enclosed by high 
walls and cypress trees. A few black- 
shrouded figures emerged from the gates, 
and entering the car seated themselves 
among the passengers. Upon inquiry we 
found that the little cortege was returning 
from the burial of a small-pox victim. Last 
year five thousand died from the loathsome 
desease. The pest-houses — here called "laz- 
arettes" — are always full and never adequate. 

One who has not visited Santiago can not im- 
agine the fearful poverty that prevails in some 
quarters. The people are uncleanly. Many 
of them do not know what a bath is, and the 
matron of a "Sheltering Home" told us that 
during her seventeen years service she had never 



IN SOUTH AMERICA 91 

had a waif brought in who was not frightened 
— sometimes almost into convulsions — when 
water was first used on its body. In most cases 
the attendants begin by bathing a hand, then 
an arm, and so on until the child learns that the 
application of water does not mean death, or 
something worse. 

The majority of physicians refuse to answer 
calls from these people, claiming that it would 
be lost time, as the people have neither brains, 
inclination, nor facilities to carry out a prescrip- 
tion, and until there is sanitation nothing can 
be done for the betterment of the existing con- 
ditions. 

Morals are very lax in Chili, but absolution 
is always to be had. It is a common thing 
after the society season to see "penitentas" 
(women who have been false to their marriage 
vows and girls who have been indiscreet) — 
robed in snow white garments going about with 
downcast eyes recognizing no one, or devoutly 
kneeling near the confessionals waiting their 
turn to be purged from sin. In the Orphan 
Asylum at Santiago there are said to be over 



92 WHAT A WOMAN SAW 

two thousand children of illegitimate parentage. 
The arrangement for the reception of foundlings 
is unique. In the rear wall that encloses the 
building is an aperture wherein swings a cradle 
on a revolving wheel. A mother who wishes 
to be rid of her baby goes with it under cover 
of the night, places the infant in the cradle, 
and turns the wheel. By this means a bell is 
rung automatically, and the nuns hearing it 
take the child and care for it until old enough 
to be hired out to work. 

When a Chilian woman has headache she 
ornaments her temples with small round bits 
of paper, to which a curious, superstitious value 
is attached. If she has any eye trouble she 
plasters some leaves on her cheek and into her 
ears, or sticks melon seeds in her nose. Why? 
No one knows. The origin of the custom seems 
to be lost in oblivion. 

ON BOARD SHIP. 

We staid on deck late last night watching the 
phosphoresence of the waves, admiring the 



IN SOUTH AMERICA 93 

Southern Cross, and by aid of the Captain's 
chart tracing constellations new to us. The 
"Milky Way" (or as a Frenchman translated 
it "Milk Street") had all its lamps lit, and the 
famous "Magellan Cloud" (formed by the light 
of thousands of small stars that are themselves 
invisible to the naked eye) was unusually 
bright. The men who spend years of their 
lives on the ocean are wonderful astronomers, 
and we learned more about the heavens last 
night than could have been gleaned from a long 
course of study in books. 

At Lota are the Cousino coal mines. They 
extend far under the sea, but no difficulty has 
ever been experienced from their proximity to 
the water, as the layers of shale form a strong 
protection and the men feel as safe working 
with the booming of the waves above their 
heads as do their brother workmen plying 
the same trade in the state of Pennsylvania. 
Countess Cousino built a beautiful palace on 
the steep bluff overlooking the ocean, and her 
gardens are considered the finest in South Amer- 
ica. They are tended by expert gardeners 



94 WHAT A WOMAN SAW 

brought from England. Rare exotics bloom 
in riotous profusion, but the stately home has 
never been finished nor occupied; the Countess 
is dead, and the heirs are wrangling over her 
fortune. 

The interior of this part of Chili is wonder- 
fully fertile. The farmers live like feudal bar- 
ons and own entire villages in which their 
employees (Inquilinos) live. Many of them 
are born, raised, and buried on their master's 
estate without ever having left it. Farming is 
done on an immense scale, and usually by means 
of the most improved machinery. It is not an 
uncommon thing to find seventeen great steam- 
threshers buzzing and whirling in the fields of 
one rancher, and often the result of one thresh- 
ing is seventy thousand bushels of grain. 

Thousands of cattle are raised. One farmer 
we met owned a herd of thirty-four thousand, 
and admitted that to be only a rough guess as 
there were doubtless many more than that, but 
the number mentioned had all been branded 
and until the next marking there was really no 
way to tell the real number. It is hard to real- 



IN SOUTH AMERICA 95 

ize the fabulous wealth of these successful men 
of Chili, or the abject poverty of the pitifully 
poor. 

About four hundred miles off the coast of 
Chili is an island that possesses great interest 
for boys. It was discovered about 1563 and 
is the island of Juan Fernandez, where Rob- 
inson Crusoe spent so many months with his 
man Friday. 

The square piece of rainbow we saw in the 
sky yesterday and asked the captain about 
last night has already fulfilled its name of "Rain 
Dog," and at present the prospect is that it will 
also prove a forerunner of heavy weather. The 
waves are running mountain high white-capped 
with foam. We can fairly see their strength as 
they rush by lifting this great vessel high on 
the crest of one giant roller only to drop it 
quivering from bow to stern into a deep trough, 
whence it is quickly gathered up again. Part 
of our cable has been washed away, and 
during dinner tonight a stack of dishes on the 
side-board suddenly decided to do a sliding 
dance. They successfully accomplished it to 



96 WHAT A WOMAN SAW 

an accompaniment of ear-splitting crashes, 
much to the consternation of the stewards who 
all rushed to the rescue, but too late, for the 
dishes were the quicker and had already packed 
themselves closely under a corner table, much 
the worse for their change of location. In the 
music room shortly afterward a card table 
suddenly left its place, whirled merrily across 
the room, jumped lightly into the laps of a 
loving pair who had previously been oblivious 
to everything but their flirtation, and it took the 
united efforts of three stewards to untangle the 
mix-up. I had a few anxious minutes wonder- 
ing if the tangled legs of table, disgusted swain, 
and dishevelled maid would be properly 
sorted. 

A terrific storm — one of the eternal success- 
ion of furious gales that chase one another 
around the South Pole — caught us just after 
leaving the port of Valdivia. For three days we 
were buffeted about by the mighty waves that 
tossed our ship as though it were an egg-shell. 
At night we were obliged to tuck ourselves 
tightly in our berths with a padding of extra 



IN SOUTH AMERICA 97 

pillows, and even after such precaution emerged 
in the morning with innumerable black and 
blue spots tattooed over our weary bodies. We 
could not go on deck because the angry waves 
swept everything within their reach. We had 
rain, snow, and hail in quick succession, while the 
wind shrieked and tramped and howled through 
the rigging like demons holding high carnival. 
We watched the storm from the windows of the 
salon, and it was a magnificent sight, yet all of us 
would willingly have dispensed with that part 
of our voyage. At night the scene was weirdly 
beautiful. The moon shone out from behind a 
curtain of black, ragged clouds like a phantom 
face looking mockingly down on the war of 
the elements, and on the snow-crested moun- 
tains with their frozen rivers and giant glaciers 
rising up from out the angry waves that boiled 
and surged and swirled at their feet. We felt 
as never before how fully our lives lay in the 
hands of the Captain, and in his ability to guide 
the ship and keep her clear of the treacherous 
rocks and shoals that line the coast. Navi- 
gation is rendered especially dangerous at the 



98 WHAT A WOMAN SAW 

points where the undertow is strong, and is an 
art requiring unusual proficiency. 

The cold became intense as we approached 
the Straits of Magellan and ran close to the 
ice-bound shores and glaciers. At night we 
cuddled close to hot-water bottles coyly clad 
in red flannel swathings to help retain their heat, 
and wrapped ourselves in six extra blankets to 
keep out the bone-searching cold. We shivered 
and wondered if ever again we would be warm 
and comfortable. Steam was turned into all 
the radiators throughout the ship and every- 
thing possible done for our comfort, but in vain. 
Everyone was cold and cross and miserable and 
even the officers — who make light of all dis- 
comforts — were obliged to admit that it 
was a storm of unusual intensity. In 
the midst of it all I thought of the wo- 
man who spent her life in a weary search for 
pleasure and decided that "now was surely 
the accepted time." 

Like all trials and tribulations and discomforts 
the end came at last. When we had passed 
Cape Pillar and entered the Straits the water 



IN SOUTH AMERICA 99 

was smooth, the sky blue, and the storm was 
behind us. 

The great quantities of snow and ice and the 
close proximity to the South Pole make the air 
bitingly cold, and we were glad to frequently 
leave the deck and get warm by a radiator, even 
though there was danger of missing the scenery. 

The great features of all the channels are the 
high abrupt shores with innumerable headlands 
and bold rocks that have assumed all sorts of 
shapes. Some like human faces and figures; 
some like buildings, and others like gigantic 
mis-shapen animals. There are ravines run- 
ning back into unexplored lands, against a back- 
ground of mountains so lofty the snow never 
melts on their tops, where little clouds, when 
tired sailing through the sky, circle and rest. In 
no place are the Straits more than five miles wide, 
and almost the only kind of vegetation seen are 
the Antartic beeches and quantities of moss 
and lichens. 



CHAPTER V 

PUNTA ARENAS— TERRA del FUEGO- 

MONTEVIDEO— BUENOS AYRES— 

SANTOS GUARAJA— RIO de JANEIRO— 

BAHIA— PERNAMBUCO— FUNCHAL. 

Punta Arenas is the most southerly city of 
the world. The houses of the people, engaged 
in hunting, fishing, and sheep raising, are paint- 
ed in bright colors dazzling to the eye, but their 
dreary lives are brightened by the flaming col- 
ors of their homes. The few stone palaces 
belong to the wealthy residents, who occasion- 
ally come to look after their interests and then 
flit to Europe to spend their time wandering 
in search of amusement. We enjoyed loitering 
about the town, visiting the shops before whose 
doors the merchants stand to lure unsophistica- 
ted tourists to buy furs, feathers and furbelows 
recently imported from Paris, but represented 
IOO 




1. Landing Basket at Bagia 3. In the Botanical Gardens, Rio de Janeiri 

2. In Mid-Air 4. Ona Indians of Terra del Fuego. 



IN SOUTH AMERICA 103 

as being home products. Our most highly 
prized purchase is a little basket made from 
an armadillo, a little creature holding its tail 
between its teeth and staring with unnatural 
glass eyes at nothing in particular — an express- 
ion strongly reminiscent of the vacant look worn 
by many of the inhabitants. 

We had a lively scramble to get back to the 
ship which was posted to sail at nine P. M. but 
it was long after 12.30 when we left the port. 
We regretted that we could not have spent 
the extra time sight-seeing in the town of un- 
tamable Indians and adventurous white folks. 

Not far from the harbor a big German ves- 
sel had gone aground. Numerous little tugs 
were busily transferring its cargo to lighters so 
that when empty she would float with the tide 
that in the Straits rises forty-five feet. In the 
channel lie the remains of forty vessels. The 
officers say that nowhere else is it so easy for a 
ship to lose her bearings as here, and the result 
is always fatal because of the treacherous rocks 
that project under the water in most unexpect- 
ed places. Some of the courses are so narrow 



io 4 WHAT A WOMAN SAW 

that a slight deviation places the vessel at th'e : 
mercy of the swirling eddies waiting to swoop 
it into their embrace and strand it on the rocks. 
The shifting sands close up about a boat in al- 
most incredible short time, and unless immedi- 
ately lightened, she seems to settle into place 
and even the strenuous-tide cannot dislodge her. 
Suddenly we caught sight of the lofty mist- 
shrouded barren peaks and inhospitable shores 
of Terra del Fuego, and then began an anx- 
ious lookout for the strange tribes of Indians 
that frequent this part of the island. They 
seem to be unadaptable to civilization, as all 
efforts to better their condition have proved 
futile. As soon as they try to live in houses 
and eat the white man's food, consumption 
carries them off. There are three princip 1 
tribes; the Onas, or Foot Indians, who are an 
intermediate race between the giant Patagon- 
ians and the stunted Fungians; Alacalofs — 
wild creatures of the lowest type of savage, with 
no fixed habitation, and building only temporary 
wigwams of boughs, as they spend most of their 
time in immense canoes that carry thirty to 



IN SOUTH AMERICA 105 

forty people. They wander from cove to cove 
in search of fish and mussels, and are harmless 
and inoffensive as long as their women are not 
interfered with. It is hard to imagine anyone's 
wishing to ever cast a second glance at their 
femininity. The Yahgans live entirely in 
canoes, seldom going ashore. The women do 
a little cooking over protected fires in the bot- 
toms of the boats, but their food is usually 
eaten raw. All of these tribes are rapidly be- 
coming extinct. Only a few are left, and they 
secrete themselves from curious travellers, so 
it is seldom anyone is fortunate enough to catch 
even a glimpse of them. 

There are illimitable stretches of matted for- 
est, bare rocks and deep ice gorges. Vultures 
and eagles wait for their prey; condors, al- 
batrosses and wild ducks sweep to and fro, 
and sometimes one sees the glint of a submarine 
monster far down in the depths of the clear blue 
water. Penguins cry greetings in tones resem- 
bling those of a jack-ass, or sit like mute images 
of propriety on the jagged rocks. They do not 
look like birds, but reminded us of children in an 



106 WHAT A WOMAN SAW 

orphan asylum dressed in white bibs and ranged 
for inspection. 

The sunsets are wonderful. They are the 
most beautiful the "Great Artist of the 
Clouds ever spread on the broad canvas of the 
Heavens." 

On these English boats a pretty custom pre- 
vails of drinking certain toasts each evening 
at dinner: Thus on 
Sunday— we drink to "The Old Folks At 

Home." 
Monday — we drink to "The Owners of the 

Steamers." 
Tuesday — we drink to "The Captain and the 

Crew" 
Wednesday — we drink to "Our Noble Selves." 
Thursday — we drink "To Absent Friends." 
Friday — we drink to "Our Native Land." 
Saturday — we drink "To Our Sweethearts 

and Wives." 

As the ships round Cape Virgin the lighthouse 
on the point plays "peek-a-boo." It winks 
and blinks, then vanishes only to resume the 
game in a moment. When we pass it we shall 



IN SOUTH AMERICA 107 

have travelled over nine thousand miles, and yet 
our journey is not half accomplished. 

BUENOS AYRES— ARGENTINA. 

For two days after leaving the Straits the 
barometer wore a cloudy face and looked as if 
it never meant to predict fine weather, but 
shortly before we reached Uraguay the sea grew 
calmer, the sun smiled, and once more wind and 
waves were at peace. 

It was carnival time when we landed in the 
cultured city of Montevideo, and dumping our 
luggage unceremoniously into our room at the 
hotel, we joined the multitude of jostling good- 
natured people who were thronging the streets, 
which resounded with gay talk, shouts and 
laughter. It was confetti day and storms of 
pellets were filling the air and whitening the 
pavement. The crowd in the balconies, win- 
dows, and hired seats along the avenue, and 
occupants of slowly moving carriages all joined 
in the mimic conflict. Mischievous maskers 
blew shrill whistles in close proximity to neigh- 



108 WHAT A WOMAN SAW 

boring ears, and tickled the nose of the nearest 
unfortunate with feather dusters. Overhead 
gay flags were flying from the roofs of houses 
and tall buildings. Strings of incandescent 
lights swung between fantastic banners, and 
escutcheons adorned with erratic clowns pic- 
tured swallowing all sorts of unsuspecting ani- 
mals. It was a gay scene. Everyone was in 
holiday attire and the best of good nature. 
While taking no active part in the merry-mak- 
ing, we derived much amusement from watch- 
ing the crowd and mingling with it. They 
must needs make the most of their time, for 
next morning the prank-playing carousers 
would be demurely moving churchward, carry- 
ing prayer books and rosaries, intent only on 
hearing mass and doing penance for their sins 
of omission and commission since last Easter- 
tide. 

From Montevideo to Buenos Ayres is a twelve- 
hour sail up the La Plata river, (or more proper- 
ly speaking the broad estuary formed by the wat- 
ers of the La Plata, Parana, and Uraguay), 
that is ninety miles wide at the mouth, very 



IN SOUTH AMERICA 109 

deep, and vilely muddy. Rio de la Plata means 
"River of silver," and was so called from a few- 
silver ornaments found in its bed. 

Every tourist is impressed with Buenos 
Ayres, the "South American Paris," where dol- 
lars flow like pennies and people are so rich they 
grow weary seeking ways to spend their mon- 
ey. The city is located one hundred miles 
from the ocean and presents a most impressive 
appearance, with its miles of docks that cost 
many millions of dollars and already are too 
small for the accommodation of the many ves- 
sels coming here from all parts of the world. 
There are imposing public buildings, private 
palaces, and scrupulously clean streets. The 
latter run at right angles to each other, and the 
city covers an area of twelve square miles. The 
millions of invested capital have been furnished 
principally by the English, who have built all 
the docks, railroads, tram lines, and financed 
all the large enterprises. The buildings are 
gaudily and lavishly adorned with mythologi- 
cal figures and garlands of flowers. Even 
"Solomon in all his glory was not arrayed like 



no WHAT A WOMAN SAW 

some of these," especially where the garlands 
and towers are encrusted with gold-leaf and 
tinted in rainbow colors. 

The principal sights are the Colon 
Theatre, built at a cost of two million and 
said to be the largest in the world. In 
the parterre alone are nine hundred stalls. 
Its most unique feature is a compartment for 
those in mourning, who wish to see the gay 
world but feel too sad to be gazed upon by the 
unsympathetic public, and here can see all 
but remain unseen. The Jockey Club whose 
initial fee alone is #5000 and the most ex- 
clusive man's club in the world, occupies a 
palatial building that is a very treasure house 
of art and sculpture. Having a surplus two 
million in the treasury that they could think 
of no way to spend, they recently presented the 
old house to the city for the use of the Minister 
of the Interior and commenced the erection of an 
even more magnificent abode. La Presna is a 
newspaper standing for social betterment, and 
maintains for the free use of its employees a 
hospital, gymnasium, restaurant, concert hall, 



IN SOUTH AMERICA in 

etc., and provides free instruction in music, art, 
literature, etc., for those too poor to pay. 

At the neighboring city of La Plata the gov- 
ernment supports a fine Museum of Natural 
History, where is preserved a wonderful collec- 
tion of ante-deluvian monsters, together with 
specimens of the animals of the present age. 

In the park at Palermo — one of the suburbs 
of Buenos Ayres — stands the famous avenue of 
palms, each rising to a height of eighty feet. It 
is bordered on either side by broad expanses of 
velvety grass, beds of flowers, and driveways 
shaded by beautiful trees. 

The Tigris River is dotted with tiny islands, 
among which one meets innumerable boats. 
Some are filled with enthusiastic fishermen cast- 
ing tempting looking flies; phlegmatic tourists 
armed with guide-books and maps which they 
seem to enjoy studying in preference to gazing 
at the scenery; lovers, with idle oars and Love 
at the helm, happy just to be together; and en- 
ergetic little steamers that splash and splutter 
and churn the peaceful waters into whirlpools 
of foam. 



ii2 WHAT A WOMAN SAW 

Every Sunday and Thursday there are races, 
and the crowds are so dense one thinks the en- 
tire population of the city must be present. 

No one should omit a visit to one of the great 
"estancias," or ranches, where the "vaqueros" 
(cow-boys) give interesting exhibitions of 
their skill in riding, branding, lassooing etc. 
Quantities of grain, beef, and "charque" (dried 
meat), and butter are shipped from these 
farms. The Liebig Beef Company owns the 
largest estate, and the curious may see their 
entire process from wild animal alive to tin 
cans and glass bottles. We inquired about the 
rainy season and how the ranchers back in the 
country manage to secure food, etc., at the time 
of "the deluge." We were shown great carts 
used to convey heavy loads to and from the 
interior across the seas of mud that are through 
politeness called roads. They run on two high 
wheels with three horses abreast in the shafts 
and nine abreast leading — all guided by a 
"carretero" who nonchalantly smokes his cig- 
arette meanwhile. To us, twelve horses seem 
a large number to be driven together; but noth- 



IN SOUTH AMERICA 113 

ing seems to be a feat in the Argentine, and most 
remarkable things are done every day without 
attracting the slightest notice from residents. 

Horses are very cheap in Argentina. Even 
beggars ride when soliciting alms and quite 
resent any intimation that the money to be had 
from the sale of the horse would be a prevent- 
ive from starvation. 

A delightful trip from Buenos Ayres is by 
steamer up the Parana River, and then a horse- 
back journey through wild forests to a point 
where, at the junction of three great republics — 
Brazil, Argentina, and Paraguay — are the Falls 
of the Iguazu. They far surpass in area and 
volume our own Niagara, but a fortnight is re- 
quired to make the trip and few undertake it. 

In Paraguay men idle and women work. A 
wife's position is no better than that of a slave. 
One colonist married to a Guarani wife treated 
her most cruelly, ofttimes beating her for some 
slight negligence or forgetfulness until she was 
too weak to stand. When a Missionary remon- 
strated with him and urged more kindness, or 
at least humane treatment, the husband replied 



ii4 WHAT A WOMAN SAW 

"I do not treat her half so badly as my neigh- 
bors treat their wives. Why allow her to sit at 
table with me. Que voulez-vous, Monsieur? 
Here in this land it is customary to treat women 
as slaves. They expect it, and if we did not 
fulfill their expectations they would not be any 
good." 

The Paraguayan Indian women are very 
skilful in making lace. They do not use thread 
but the very fine fibre of a native tree, and 
thorns in place of spindles and bobbins for the 
weaving. The result is a filmy cob-web soft 
and lustrous as silk and known as "nanduti." 

Caracupe, in central Paraguay, is a sort of 
South American Lourdes, and every year there 
is a great pilgrimage to the sacred shrine. Tra- 
dition says that years ago it was decided to 
move the statue of the Virgin from Caracupe 
to Asuncion, and accordingly it was placed 
with reverence and care in a bullock-cart. 
The first night camp was set among the Cord- 
illera hills and a watch placed to guard the im- 
age. But in the morning it had disappeared. 
Greatly alarmed, the cortege hurried back to 



IN SOUTH AMERICA 115 

Caracupe and there, to their great astonish- 
ment they found the statue standing in its 
accustomed place in the village church. Other 
attempts to remove it met with the same 
result, and since Rome has declared the 
whole affair to be miraculous, faithful 
Catholics regard the statue with vener- 
ation and attribute to it wonderful 
healing powers. During the yearly festival 
the floor around the Virgin is often covered 
two or three feet deep with paper money rang- 
ing in value from five cents to one hundred 
dollars, while outside the church are great piles 
of stones, some weighing as much as thirty 
pounds, brought as offerings on the heads of 
devotees not able to contribute money. 

South America is a land where Catholicism 
reigns supreme. Protestant missionaries are 
sometimes found, and in one city a Jew in 
charge of the Baptist Mission is fast becoming 
a millionaire. 

Nowhere in the world do men stare as openly 
as in the city of Buenos Ayres. When a woman 
walks along the street she is sure to be a magnet 



n6 WHAT A WOMAN SAW 

for all eyes. Several years ago one of the for- 
eign ministers was so annoyed by the attention 
his wife attracted, as well as by her being fre- 
quently addressed, that he persuaded the 
authorities to do something to suppress such 
insults. Now if a man address a strange lady 
she need only call a policeman and he fines the 
offender fifty dollars. But matters are not 
much improved, for instead of speaking directly 
to the admired one, men walk near her saying 
aloud "Oh, how I wish I had fifty dollars! 
How gladly would I pay a fine in order to 
speak to this fair creature." 

As "pork and beans" are typical of Boston, 
so "cazuela" is the dish always to be found in 
the homes of Spanish races. It is a sort of soup 
made of meat, fish, vegetables, rice, etc. — in 
fact a little of everything goes into the pot that 
is always simmering on the stove or over the 
brazier, and is partaken of at all hours when 
hunger cries. 

Every ship leaving Buenos Ayres carries a 
sleek, gazelle-eyed cow to furnish fresh milk 
to stale babies. We are convinced that it 



IN SOUTH AMERICA 117 

gives more strength of lung and supplies more 
weeping tissue than all other baby foods com- 
bined. The great demand for this "peace be 
with you cordial," at the nominal price of sev- 
enty-five cents per pint, is surely working the 
cow to nervous prostration. 

RIO DE JANEIRO— BRAZIL. 

It is with real reluctance that the visitor 
leaves Buenos Ayres. After a long day's ride 
back over the turbid waters of the mighty La 
Plata, Montevideo is again sighted. We 
arrived at night. Long rows of twinkling 
lights showed us where the city lay, but we did 
not go ashore until morning, and then having 
seen most of the important points of interest on 
the occasion of our first visit, we did not attempt 
much sight-seeing, but went for a drive through 
the park and out to Positos — a seaside resort — 
and returned to the ship in time to see the last 
bag of coal and the last truck of baggage 
come aboard before sailing. 

The next stop was at Santos, the greatest 



n8 WHAT A WOMAN SAW 

coffee shipping port in the world. The city 
was once so full of yellow fever that even the 
ship crews did not dare remain there over night, 
but when obliged to lay over any length of 
time, drank a pint of rum and went up into the 
hills to sleep. Modern sanitation has now 
wiped out all such danger and Santos is one of 
the most healthful cities of Brazil, and in size 
and importance is exceeded only by Rio. We 
reached the entrance to the harbor at sunrise, 
just as the big golden ball rose above the hori- 
zon. When the bugler, who tootles his horn to 
call people from their cabins to meals and to 
sports, made his early morning rounds, he 
found us already on deck enjoying the most 
wonderful scenery we had ever seen. Nature 
has done her utmost to produce this enticing 
spot, and she has succeeded admirably, leaving 
only a few touches to be added by man. 

We docked near the great ware houses 
whence 80% of all the coffee used in the world 
is shipped. The fragrant aroma was enticing, 
and we immediately sought out a coffee-house 
and ordered real Brazilian coffee and sand- 



IN SOUTH AMERICA 119 

wiches. Upon asking "quanto?" (how much?) 
we were appalled at the reply. Sandwiches 
cost #100 each and coffee #200. We gasped. 
What sort of highway robbery was this? For- 
tunately for our peace of mind a fellow traveller 
conversant with Brazilian currency hastened to 
explain the value of their dollar in U. S. money, 
and even then we thought thirty-six and one- 
tenth cents ought to enable the restaurant 
keeper to realize a good profit, especially when 
one considered the microscopic size of the sand- 
wiches and the diminutive cups. Perhaps it 
was the same dealer who desired to write an 
English firm regarding a shipment of coffee, 
and after spending much time in diligent study 
and preparation wrote his communication in 
English. Among other evidences of his pro- 
ficiency in the language "as she is spoke" he 
managed to spell the word "coffee" without 
employing a single letter used in the accepted 
orthography and produced "Kawphy." 

Most interesting is a visit to a coffee planta- 
tion, or "fazenda." They often cover an area of 
fifteen thousand acres — averaging 340 trees to 



120 WHAT A WOMAN SAW 

the acre — and are divided into beds 32 feet 
wide, each containing three or four rows of trees 
separated by two-feet ditches used for irriga- 
tion and drainage. The coffee berry resembles 
a cherry in size and color, and a plum in shape. 
When opened there is revealed a stone contain- 
ing two seeds encased in a membrane-like 
parchment, under which there is a thin trans- 
parent jacket called "pergamine," and in this 
last covering the berry is always shipped. The 
appearance of a coffee plantation in full bloom 
is most beautiful. The trees with their glossy 
green leaves look as if powdered with snow, and 
the air for miles around is fragrant with sweet 
perfume. 

From Santos runs a remarkable cog rail road 
owned by an English syndicate said to be the 
richest in the world. The route passes moun- 
tain sides covered with dusty banana trees 
close by pineapple and orange groves, and over 
trestled bridges spanning terrifying gulches and 
ravines, where one sees what at first sight appear 
to be huge boquets, but prove to be tall trees 
covered with gorgeous bouganvillae blossoms. 



IN SOUTH AMERICA 121 

Not far from Santos is a small resort called 
Guaraja, where a curious evening amusement 
is found. It is known as "trolleying on the 
sands." After one experience I doubt if many 
people care to repeat the excursion. The pas- 
sengers are seated in a sort of springless cart 
resembling a buck-board with a hooded top, and 
almost instantly the team of mules attached to 
it, urged on by the driver's whip and whistle, 
start away at a furious galop. It is a most 
fearful pastime ever spiced with the likelihood of 
a spill, or a collision with other "trolleys" that 
constantly loom up like flying phantoms. 
Most thrilling of all is the moment when the 
point of turning is reached and one pivots on a 
single wheel that is partially in the surf, and 
then resumes the "Race with Death" at even 
a more furious gait than before. It is a mad 
freak to go tearing over the sands in such a fash- 
ion, but whether moonlight or dark, rainy or 
pleasant, hot or cold, the carriages are always 
well patronized and up to date no accidents are 
recorded. 

The natives have a peculiar method of taking 



122 WHAT A WOMAN SAW 

a bath, if standing for a few minutes in shallow 
water can thus be designated. Attired from 
head to foot in suits resembling macintoshes 
the bathers approach the water, invariably 
making the sign of the cross before letting even 
one toe get wet. Advancing slowly, solemnly 
to a spot where a few of the extra large waves 
roll up on the shore, they stand gazing out over 
the ocean wrapt in deep meditation. After a 
few minutes they sprinkle a few drops of water 
over their persons and hurry away to dress. 
Evidently the most important thing about a 
bath is to avoid getting wet. These "sprink- 
lers" gaze in wonder and awe at the American 
and English bathers, who swim and dive and 
play in the water like porpoises. 

Returning to Santos we were caught in a 
heavy tropical shower that in an incredibly 
short time flooded the streets and sent people 
scurrying to shelter. Before a dozen steps 
were taken we inadvertently stepped into a 
deceptive looking puddle that rose over our 
shoe tops and dampened our enthusiasm as 
well as our feet. We were drenched through 



IN SOUTH AMERICA 123 

long before reaching the ship, for after we 
succeeded in finding a carriage the rain beat in 
from all directions and we were obliged to 
descend to our cabins for dry clothing. 

All nationalities in the Tropics do business 
in the listless, hap-hazard manner, incident to 
hot climates, and the only time they seem to 
show any energy is when they are "doing" the 
unwary traveller. On our return from a 
shopping expedition and examining our 
"bargains'^?) we realized the utter dejection of 
St. Matthew when he wrote, "I was a stranger 
and ye took me in." 

In one store Doctor selected a briar pipe 
with a "wind-shield cover.", "How much?" 
he asked. Not being able to understand the 
language, and fearing the clerk would "do him," 
he asked a lady from our beloved country who 
had acquired the Brazilian-Portuguese dialect 
to translate for him. She said the clerk had 
put the price down to $1500 — Brazilian money. 
Doctor handed him a bright English sovereign, 
and the amount of change received in return 
astonished us more than the price of the pipe. 



124 WHAT A WOMAN SAW 

We filled our pockets, our shoulder grips, and 
finally left several hundred dollars on the 
counter. After hours of painstaking figuring 
we found the pipe had cost fifty-nine cents of 
U. S. money, but had we been able to carry all 
the change it would have been only forty-seven 
cents. As we left Santos the day of the pur- 
chase we had this money transferred to the 
ship, but we were obliged to leave it with the 
sanitary officer at the next port, who informed 
us that it must go in the disinfecting vat for 
at least six months. We are still awaiting the 
result. 

Soon after sailing we were called upon by an 
over-important official who inquired if we were 
landing at Rio, and being answered in the af- 
firmative, he requested us to write the story of 
our lives, tell our age, state where we had been, 
where we were going, what we had in our lug- 
gage, and answer other questions that we con- 
sidered highly impertinent, but are always re- 
quired before one is allowed to land. Even when 
leaving this over-particular republic one must 
pay an export tax of four dollars for the privilege. 



IN SOUTH AMERICA 125 

We fell in love with Rio de Janeiro (The real 
name is San Sebastian de Rio de Janeiro), from 
the first moment our eyes discovered the dwarf- 
shaped mountain, "Sugar Loaf," rising at the 
mouth of the harbor and watching over 
the city with its red tiled roofs glistening 
among the wonderful foliage of which 
so much has been written. The town 
was founded in 1566. We landed close to 
a plaza ornamented with a fountain, at 
whose edge bronze mermaids curled up on their 
tails held tapering rainbow shells to catch the 
spray that escaped them and splashed out upon 
a red and black mosaic pavement that is very 
pretty to look at and pleasant to walk on. 

There are magnificent avenues and boulevards 
lined with fine residences, excellent shops, a 
steep mountain covered with trees, ferns, or- 
chids, winding walks and charming little re- 
treats, whence is to be had an extensive view. 
The top is reached only by a railway whose 
cars jerk upward with so many stops at terri- 
fying heights that there is ample food for 
thought in wondering what would happen 



iz6 WHAT A WOMAN SAW 

should anything give way, or a cog slip. There 
are churches innumerable to visit, fourteen 
theatres, and several museums. But best of 
all is to walk or drive in the Botanical Gardens. 
There lovely flowers fill the air with perfume 
and offer sweets untold to the humming-birds 
(called by the natives "Be aflores" — kiss flow- 
ers — )that flit and sip and hum, while brilliant 
beetles and rainbow-hued bugs whirr and buzz, 
and butterflies swarm and flutter like winged 
flowers. The scene is like fairyland at dusk. 
Then flowers and trees unite in giving out dis- 
tracting perfumes to greet the evening shadows, 
fireflies glitter in the grass and among the 
plants — avoiding each other in abrupt zig-zag- 
gings and sudden loopings of flame. The bam- 
boo hedges with their feathery fronds often 
attain a height of ten or twelve feet and are 
justly famous. The grasshoppers grow as large 
as ordinary butterflies, and have a most tanta- 
lizing habit of beginning a plaintive heart rend- 
ing chirp just as one decides to indulge in a few 
minutes of napping. 
The ants (of which there are 335 species in 



IN SOUTH AMERICA 127 

South America) are fully half an inch long and 
very destructive. They are one of the most 
annoying pests of the country. They will attack 
a tree at night and before daylight snip off all 
the leaves and carry them to their nests for 
provender. It is not an unusual thing to see 
moving toward you what appears to be an am- 
bitious grass-plot. Looking closer to confirm 
or dispel the fear that you are insane, you dis- 
cover the grass-plot to be a procession of ants 
industriously carrying home their spoils — a 
green leaf apiece. And if you peer closer still 
you will perhaps see some tiny ants enjoying 
a ride on the backs of their big brothers. 
We were impressed with the beauty of Rio's 
undulating shores, picturesque islands, and the 
ugliness of its battleships. The dreadnoughts, 
which are scattered about under the lea of the 
islands, remind us of policemen who choose cor- 
ners that are conspicuous, but also afford quick 
shelter if a shot is heard disagreably near. We 
were informed by a resident Englishman that 
all the guns of these belligerent dreadnoughts 
were spiked by order of the Mayor during the 



128 WHAT A WOMAN SAW 

insurrection that occurred just previous to our 
visit. Several municipal buildings bore evi- 
dence of the too-late action of the Mayor. At 
present there is naught to dread from the 
dreadnoughts. 

It is in Rio that oysters grow on trees — a 
statement that when first heard makes the most 
blaze traveller gasp, but is never the less true. 
The wide spreading roots of the mango trees 
twist far down below the water and offer a 
tempting place for young oysters to cling. 
Nearly every tourist drives out to a certain bay, 
where for a few pennies the ever-obliging negro 
boys will wade or dive and bring back a branch 
to which are attached oysters. Those who care 
for such a feast may pick the bivalves from 
their abiding place and eat at their leisure, know- 
ing well that when they relate the experience 
no one will believe, but each listener will slyly 
nudge his neighbor and wink as if to say, "He 
must think us dead easy." 

Scorpions are found in large numbers in 
Brazil, and cruel experiments are tried with 
them to gratify the abnormal curiosity of 



IN SOUTH AMERICA 129 

strangers. The little unfortunates will not 
allow themselves to be killed, but when placed 
within a ring of fire will puncture the back of 
their necks with their tail in which is carried a 
poisonous liquid. They prefer to commit 
suicide rather than be tortured. 

A Brazilian usually wears his ring on the first 
finger, and by the stone set in it one is able to 
tell his profession. Thus a lawyer wears a 
ruby; a physician wears an emerald; a sapphire 
is for the civil-engineer; a turquoise for a mili- 
tary engineer; and a granada for a chemist. 

EN ROUTE TO FUNCHAL. 

Leaving lovely Rio with real regret the next 
stop was at Bahia. There we were welcomed 
by a large whale, who had evidently come from 
the fathomless depths of mid-ocean into shal- 
lower water. Barnacles attach themselves 
perniciously to such animals, and he doubtless 
wished to rid himself of them by a scrub 
against the coral-reefs that abound along this 
part of the coast. There were a number of 



130 WHAT A WOMAN SAW 

these monsters rolling and spouting in the 
neighborhood, and they seemed to be enjoying 
a good play. 

Bahia is a city of stucco and bright colors. 
It is similar in location to Valparaiso, but more 
unique. Built on planes of varying altitude 
there is a lower and an upper town. In the 
lower is the business section interspersed with 
narrow, winding streets. One thousand feet 
above are beautiful plazas, broad avenues, and 
handsome houses — many of them elaborately 
decorated with painted tiles. It is unusual 
to travel from one city to another by going up 
in the air, but everyone rises from lower to 
upper Bahia in an elevator. The city is a 
famous diamond market, and many beautiful 
gems are found in the near vicinity. 

What impressed us as stranger than anything 
else was the drawing of the color line against 
the whites, who are greatly in the minority in 
this oldest of Brazilian cities with its popula- 
tion of 300,000. The negresses attain a dis- 
tressing stoutness. Some of them weigh as 
much as 250 pounds, but they present a neat 



IN SOUTH AMERICA 131 

appearance in voluminous skirts of many 
colors, picturesque turbans, and neatly folded 
shawls. The men appear in alarmingly scant 
attire, but woe to the white man who goes 
coatless. To appear in the street without a 
coat is considered the greatest of misdemean- 
ors for a white man, as the blacks reserve to 
themselves the privilege of negligee. Strangers 
not knowing this custom often meet with severe 
treatment at the hands of the street loafers, 
but with coat on the tourist receives the utmost 
courtesy. 

Bahia abounds in bird-venders who offer gay 
macaws, parrots, and foolish sad-faced monkeys 
for sale at fabulous prices. Undaunted by 
price purchasers are numerous. 

We weighed anchor at the beginning of the 
second "dog-watch." No one seems to know 
why it is so called. Perhaps because it is a 
watch cur-tailed. 

As soon as we cast anchor in the harbor of 
Pernambuco, the sailors threw over huge 
chunks of salt pork attached to concealed hooks, 
and it was not long before the passengers were 



1 32 WHAT A WOMAN SAW 

hanging excitedly over the rail watching the 
frantic struggles of a big man-eating shark, who 
had swallowed the tempting (?) morsel and was 
immediately sorry he had done so — remember- 
ing an important engagement in quite a differ- 
ent latitude and suddenly finding himself 
unable to keep it. It was interesting to watch 
the men let down ropes with slip-noose ends 
to tie the monster firmly, and then nine sailors 
had a tug-of-war to pull him up the side of the 
vessel and onto the deck. Soon the butcher 
appeared with a huge knife and the ladies 
retired while the shark was opened, and his 
stomach examined. Finding that it contained 
no human remains, the shark was carved up and 
cast over to his waiting friends. Big sharks, 
little sharks, skates, sword-fish, and one horrible 
devil-fish were all swimming excitedly about, 
waiting for the feast they seemed to know was 
soon to come. Each onlooker clung more close- 
ly to the rail, while pictures rose before them of 
what their fate might be should they chance to 
lose their balance and fall into the sea. 

At Pernambuco the water abounds with so 



IN SOUTH AMERICA 133 

many sharks, and the heavy swell makes land- 
ing so dangerous, that passengers are placed — 
five at a time — within a high round basket, the 
door locked, and the novel car swung by means 
of cranes over the ship's side and down into a 
deep flat-bottomed boat below. It is an excit- 
ing moment when one hangs suspended high 
in the air, dangling as it were between sky and 
sea. But it is all over in a moment, the basket 
thumps down upon the floor of the waiting 
boat, the door, is unlocked, and once more the 
occupants are free. 

Pernambuco takes its name from the long 
reef, or coral rock, on which it is built and is 
rendered a veritable Venice by its interlacing 
rivers and canals. These, and the houses 
tiled and painted in their "coats of many col- 
ors" give a gala look to the city, especially when 
the sun shines on the bright tiles that decorate 
many of the front doors. 

Being as much a resort for whales as its 
neighboring city of Bahia, the whaling indus- 
try is one of the most important. It is also 
one of the largest sugar ports of Brazil and 



134 WHAT A WOMAN SAW 

quantities are sent to Europe by each out-going 
vessel. 

FUNCHAL— MADEIRA ISLANDS. 

No sooner does a ship appear within the har- 
bor at Funchal than it is surrounded by a 
flotilla of small boats, each containing two or 
three dark skinned native boys in the scantiest 
of clothing, crying vociferously to the passen- 
gers to throw money into the water that they 
may dive for it. Scarcely does a coin touch 
the waves than, — splash — every boat is empty 
and the sea looks to be full of nimble young 
frogs. Down, down they go to the bottom on- 
ly to rise almost instantly with the bit of silver 
(for they disdain coppers) between their teeth. 
Climbing into their boats they beg for another 
toss. One lad, who could speak a few words of 
English, offered to dive from the top of the 
steamer and swim under it if some one would 
give him a shilling. Upon receiving it he really 
did as he agreed, accomplishing the feat in a 
very short space of time, 



IN SOUTH AMERICA 135 

We went ashore in a tug, landed at the Praca, 
or principal plaza, and were soon enjoying a 
ride in a bullock-cart — a sort of willow chair 
set on iron runners and gorgeously canopied 
with bright colored chintz or cretonne. These 
gay vehicles are drawn by meek looking oxen 
led by leather thongs passed through holes in 
their horns and guided by a boy. Another boy 
walks beside the sled carrying cacti leaves and 
oiled rags that are frequently placed under the 
runners to make them slide more easily over 
the rough cobble-stones with which the city is 
paved. The streets are very steep and so nar- 
row that in only a few of them can carts pass 
each other. So the drivers have certain routes 
they follow in order to avoid meetings. 

There is a fine old garden overlooking the 
sea where coffee is served in the shadow of 
white-washed walls over which jessamine, 
roses, stephanotis, and yellow allamandoes 
hang in thick curtains of bloom. The fragrant 
lily-of-the-valley tree (Clethra Arborea), with 
its branches of delicate white flowers like five 
or six rays of lillies-of-the-valley growing from 



136 WHAT A WOMAN SAW 

one stalk, is a native of Madeira. A most 
curious shrub has spikes of scarlet blossoms 
that look like arrogant farm-yard roosters try- 
ing each to get his head higher than the others 
and have the last crow. 

The ascent of the mountain is made by means 
of the funicular rail road, and the descent in a 
"Carro," or running sledge, made of basket work 
fixed on runners and skillfully guided at lightn- 
ing speed by two men standing on a sort of 
shelf behind. 

For the indolent there are canopied hammocks 
suspended from a long pole borne on the shoul- 
ders of two men. They will carry their pas- 
senger to all the points of interest in which 
Funchal abounds for only a few cents per hour. 



CHAPTER V 

LISBON— CINTRA. 

Portugal is usually thought of as a land of 
balmy weather, brilliant sunshine, and inter- 
esting people, but on the morning of our arrival 
a perfect hurricane was blowing; rain fell in 
torrents, and everybody was cross. Despite 
the efforts of the elements to dampen our en- 
thusiasm we paddled out under umbrellas to 
visit some of the stores and museums. We 
crossed on our way the far famed Roly Motion 
Square. The mosaic pavement is laid so that 
it presents an uneven appearance to the eye, 
while in reality perfectly flat. Scarcely any- 
one can walk upon it at first trial without 
hesitation, as the optical delusion is perfect, 
and the pedestrian fancies he must lift his feet 
much higher than usual, so as to step up and 
down over its apparently rippling surface. 
137 



138 WHAT A WOMAN SAW 

The streets swarm with beggars dressed in 
rags frayed to the last degree of wearability. 
Some of them are so horribly deformed 
that one shudders at their approach. Each 
and every one of them stretches out emaciated, 
claw-like hands and beseeches the passer-by 
for coin. It is an unpardonable insult to pass 
a Spanish or Portuguese beggar without notic- 
ing him. If not disposed to give anything it 
is customary to pause and say "Perdoneme- 
usted," which means "Excuse me," and in nine 
cases out of ten the beggar will smile politely 
and pass on. 

Flower-girls with baskets of dew-sprinkled 
violets slip noiselessly up and deftly pin a 
bouquet on your dress or coat and laugh glee- 
fully when you shake your head. They are so 
pretty and childlike that you have not the heart 
to refuse the payment of the few reis demanded, 
and giving them to the delighted girl you pass 
on only to fall into the hands of another 
vender. 

Many of the clerks and waiters receive high- 
er wages on account of their ability to speak 




1. Queen Amelia's Cat 2. A Fruit Vender of Lisbon 

3. The Moorish Castle at Cintra 



IN SOUTH AMERICA 141 

English, but their knowledge of the language 
is of text book phrase variety, and anything 
outside is far beyond their interpretation. 
Some of their mistakes are very funny, yet ex- 
ceedingly aggravating if one wishes anything 
in a hurry. One of the ladies at our table 
asked the waiter to order some stationery sent 
to her room and he replied, "It much too far. 
Me order cab quick." (He confused the words 
"station" and "stationery"). Another time, 
we asked if he thought "we would have rain 
today?" He smiled pleasantly and hastened 
toward the kitchen saying, "Me order it quick 
from English speak grocery." 

We shivered our way back to the hotel through 
sleety rain in time for "table d' hote," and 
spent the evening writing letters and listening 
to a befrizzled and bejeweled dame sing several 
songs — allowing a short pause between for 
encouragement and applause. Receiving only a 
stinted amount of either, she continued her 
unrequested programme complacently, evi- 
dently well pleased with herself and pitying 
others unable to appreciate her efforts. 



1 42 WHAT A WOMAN SAW 

SEVERAL DAYS LATER. 

The next day was perfect and we took an 
early train for Cintra to visit the Royal Summer 
Palace now in possession of the government, 
which is making money from the fees charged 
for visiting it. It is about an hour's ride from 
Lisbon. At the station carriages wait to take 
the visitor to the topmost summit of the moun- 
tain where the palace stands. Its gold dome 
towers like a sentinel over the sweeping plain 
below, with its wealth of olive-groves, vine- 
yards, orange orchards, and busy towns. Many 
old hidalgo residences are set in behind high 
walls with coats-of-arms sculptured over the 
gateways, which afford only tantalizing glimpses 
into fascinating gardens laid out in winding 
walks with shady nooks and rustic seats. 
They are approached by broad terraces, where 
caged birds twitter in answer to the tinkling 
of fountains, and bumble-bees buzz among the 
flowers, becoming intoxicated on the sweets 
offered by the luxurious blossoms. The road 
passes through the village and then begins a 



IN SOUTH AMERICA 143 

series of steep grades and many curves, winding 
in and out under noble trees whose 
deep overshadowing boughs tempt one to lin- 
ger among the periwinkles and myrtle beneath; 
over little brooks that hurry along talking in 
intimate murmuring tones to the low, grey 
rocks overgrown with moss and wrought in 
lichen mosaics, or caressing the drooping ferns 
that overhang its banks; past long stretches of 
softest herbage carpeting the earth for acres, 
and offering tempting feed for the herds of 
goats that roam there. 

The first halt is made in the shade of a Moor- 
ish castle — centuries old — whose battlements 
now lie in an endless confusion of broken stones, 
wild, rugged and forsaken save for the birds 
that loiter along the walls seeking new spots 
in which to build nests. 

A white haired old custodian waits at the 
draw-bridge spanning the moat and conducts 
visitors through the palace which is just as the 
royal mother and her unfortunate son left it. 
Even the magazines lie about her boudoir, and 
we found her pet cat taking a comfortable 



144 WHAT A WOMAN SAW 

snooze in an inverted umbrella left on a balcony. 
I persuaded the guide to sit for his picture and 
snapped Pussy at the same time. 

The majority of tourists return to Lisbon by 
way of the sacred mountain "Montserrat" — 
an enormous mass of rock 4070 feet high, whose 
formation resembles a hugh castle. It con- 
tains the world famous shrine of "La Santa 
Imogen," which is a wooden image of the Virgin 
said to have been carved by St. Luke and 
brought to Portugal by St. Peter. Every 
month in the year a mighty army of pilgrims 
toils up the mountain to the shrine with votive 
offerings and earnest prayers. A twisting path 
leads from the shrine to a cave between rocks 
in the ground where St. Honorius lived as a 
stern penitent for thirty years. As one man 
said "One year there ought to have been enough 
to tame the most reprobate soul." 

Most Portuguese churches have a curtain 
hanging across the entrance, and a decrepit 
old man or woman is always near to push it 
aside, expecting in return a few reis. Inside 
waits the sexton who will show you everything 



IN SOUTH AMERICA 145 

in the building for a few pieces of silver, and 
attempt unintelligible explanations as well. 
Passing by the crowd of beggars who loll at the 
doorway, you step inside the church. There 
the hum of the busy world is gone. A quiet, 
peaceful hush prevails; the sun shines dimly 
through stained glass windows which sheds a 
subdued light on the carved altars. At St. Vin- 
cente de Flora are the "Royal Sarcophagi," 
containing what are commonly spoken of as 
"The Pickled Kings." At the time of our first 
visit the great organ was playing softly, and 
white-robed priests attended by acolytes were 
just leaving the altar. We walked about ad- 
miring the lace-draped shrines, pictures, and 
carvings and were then conducted along open 
corridors paved with marble mosaics, where 
monks once paced telling their beads, or sat 
illuminating missals by the stone mullioned 
windows. Within a chapel stand long rows 
of sarcophagi bearing the sculptured names of 
men and women long since dead. Heavy palls 
of velvet and satin, to which the active moth has 
given assiduous attention, drape the hermetical- 



146 WHAT A WOMAN SAW 

ly sealed caskets through whose glass tops one 
may look upon the fast shrivelling mummied 
kings and queens of old Portugal. 

Sad of interest is the story of Don Pedro, the 
son and successor of Alfonzo Fourth. While 
married to Dona Constanza, Don Pedro be- 
came enamoured with Ignez De Castro (a love- 
ly and virtuous maid of honor). Death car- 
ried away his wife and he was secretly married 
to Ignez. They lived in happy seclusion with 
their children until one day, while Don Pedro 
was absent on a hunting trip, assassins hired by 
Alfonzo murdered the little family. Upon 
his return, Don Pedro — crushed by his bereave- 
ment — raised a revolt and vowed that as soon 
as he was king he would be revenged. Accord- 
ingly, as soon as he ascended the throne he 
assembled all the nobles, gave proofs of the 
legality of his marriage, caused the body of 
Ignez to be exhumed, dressed in royal robes 
and placed on the throne. Then he ordered 
her crowned, and forced all the noble lords and 
ladies of the court to pay homage and kiss her 
hand while he stood by her side. Then, still 



IN SOUTH AMERICA 147 

unsatisfied he caused persons, 1000 to the league, 
holding tapers, to line the fifty-two miles of 
road to Alcobaco, where he carried his beloved 
for interment. 

The Cathedral proved disappointing. Its 
greatest treasure is a bit of the True Cross, and 
though only a tiny piece, when added to all the 
other pieces preserved in different parts of the 
world, would make a cross of gigantic propor- 
tions containing several thousand feet of lum- 
ber. Extensive repairs are being made on the 
Cathedral, and the frescoes and mural deco- 
rations are being recolored. 

There is a story told of an artist engaged to re- 
pair some paintings in one of the old churches 
who sent in his bill. Payment was refused 
because the bill was not itemized, so he made 
another that read as follows: 
Correcting the Ten Commandments — $5.16 
Embellishing Pontius Pilate & putting new 

ribbon in his bonnet 3.02 

Putting new tail on rooster of St. Peter & 

mending his comb 2.20 

Replenishing and gilding left wing of Guardi- 



148 WHAT A WOMAN SAW 

an Angel 4.18 

Washing the servant of Herod & putting car- 
mine on his cheek 5.12 

Renewing Heaven, Adjusting two stars, & 

Cleaning the Moon 7.14 

Reanimating the flames of Hell, Putting new 
tail on the Devil, Mending his left foot, & do- 
ing several small jobs for the Damned— 7.17 
Reviving the Flames of Purgatory & restoring 

souls 3 .06 

Rebordering the robe of Herod & readjusting 

his wig ■ 4.00 

Putting new spotted dashes on Son of Tobias & 

Draping his sack 2.00 

Cleaning ears of Balaam's Ass & shoeing 

h i m 3.02 

Putting ear-rings into the ears of Sarah— 2.01 
Putting new stone into David's Sling ^ 

Enlarging head of Goliath > 5.05 

Extending his legs J 

Decorating Noah's Ark 3.00 

Mending shirt of Prodigal Son & Cleaning 
his ear 4.09 

$60.22 



IN SOUTH AMERICA 149 

Despite the alterations being made in the 
Church of St. Belem services are regularly- 
held, but a more depressing, dismal spot could 
not be found. A sad-voiced organ wheezes 
indignant protest at such an upheaval, the 
choir-boys look discouraged, and the effort 
brings to mind the tale of the sailors who were 
forced to attend service in a miserable little 
chapel where the rain poured through the roof. 
When the hymn, "We are but strangers here," 
was given out, they replied unanimously 
"Thank God, we are — in this ere place." 

The ruins of the Church of Carmo contain a 
Museum of relics found among the debris when 
the church was destroyed by an earthquake. 
In the Monastery of St. Jeronymos are five hun- 
dred orphan boys being educated by the gov- 
ernment. Adjoining the Palace of Belem is the 
Museum of Royal Coaches. It contains a fine 
collection of state carriages and harness. They 
are tottering, tattered, and musty, but still 
pompous relics of the days when kings and 
queens rode with gorgeous pageants through the 
streets to impress the wondering populace with 



ISO WHAT A WOMAN SAW 

their grandeur. The lumbering coaches are 
shaped like antiquated canopied beds, and ad- 
orned with huge carved and gilded figures, 
curveting sea-horses, and mythological groups, 
and draped with tarnished cloth-of-gold. 

The city has numerous public fountains 
where picturesque groups gather to draw water 
and gossip over the affairs of the day. The 
scenes around these wells bring to mind the 
marriage at Cana in Gallilee, and pictures in 
Sunday-School books of "Rebecca at the Well," 
for the women carry earthen jars on their shape- 
ly heads and there is much merry talk and 
laughter. 

The Market Place is on the bank of the Tagus 
River and gay with the bright costumes of the 
peasantry, the trappings of horsemen, vari- 
colored shawls of the market-women, and piles 
of brilliant-colored fish, who have spent their 
lives down under the sea among the coral 
groves and brought some of the submarine 
tints away on their fins. There are tent-like 
umbrellas of blue and red covering stalls piled 
high with fruit and vegetables — red, blue, and 



IN SOUTH AMERICA 151 

purple plums, apricots (eggs of the sun), pears, 
grapes, melons, green peppers. Vegetable 
boats come to the wharves laden with produce 
and lie side by side with their strange-shaped 
sails half furled and flopping in the breeze. It 
is a "living picture" not soon forgotten. In 
the corners of the poultry section turkey-cocks 
and roosters fight in willow crates, hens cackle, 
and pigeons coo. Farther on women sit pick- 
ing live fowls — their work livened by laughter 
and gossip. It is a kind of picnic enjoyed by 
all, even by the babies rolling on the floor or 
peacefully sucking their begrimed thumbs 
under counters of garlic and cheese. 

Beyond the market runs a tiny creek where 
the women meet on wash days, and there cheery- 
faced laundresses rub and pound clothes on flat 
stones, while streams of smoke rise from 
immense caldrons hung over smudgy fires, and 
garments flutter briskly from trees and bushes. 

The Varinhos, or fish-women are prominent 
in the streets of Lisbon. The Portuguese 
consider it a disgrace to bear a burden of any 
kind, so these natives of Ovar come into the 



152 WHAT A WOMAN SAW 

cities to act as pedlars. They are really the 
huckster women from the market, and in the 
early morning can be seen filling their baskets 
from the piles of slimy fish the fishermen have 
brought in after their night's toil to auction 
off to the highest bidder. The heavy baskets 
are balanced on the women's heads as they run 
barefooted over the pavements crying their 
wares in shrill voices. 

Prisoners in the penitentiary are compelled 
to wear a light-textured mask over their faces 
when out of their cells but are otherwise treated 
according to strict humanitarian principles. 

Lisbon has a fine service of electric trams, 
"Carris de Serro," and there are many inter- 
esting rides about the city. Sometimes the 
car follows the line of the new broad avenues, 
past gardens planted with trees and flowers, 
or meanders through a labyrinth of alleys and 
tortuous narrow streets. The high quaint hous- 
es have painted shutters. Flower-trellised bal- 
conies are adorned with plants and cages of 
singing birds, and hung with gay awnings, under 
which Signoritas swing languidly in hammocks 



IN SOUTH AMERICA 153 

and watch the passer-by, or listen to the thrum 
of guitars, or the click of castanets. 

Occasionally traffic is stopped by the break- 
down of small omnibuses drawn by mules apt 
to make unexpected stops on the steep hills, 
and only persuaded to continue the ascent after 
the passengers have grumblingly descended 
from the two rows of chairs fastened back to 
back along the center of the vehicle and liter- 
ally "put their shoulders to the wheel." The 
streets are always full of interest and all sorts 
of processions go by. Herds of flop-eared 
goats, files of asses bearing panniers of produce, 
groups of "specially conducted tourists," 
bridal parties in white coaches bedecked with 
white ribbons and dancing cupids, prisoners 
on their way to break stones, and not infre- 
quently a funeral procession. Funerals are 
elaborately conducted. The hearse is adorned 
with rich canopies of heavy black, and drawn by 
four or eight horses caparisoned with tossing 
sable plumes. It is preceded by eight men 
carrying huge lighted tapers, and is followed by 
at least a half dozen carriages overflowing with 



154 WHAT A WOMAN SAW 

palm branches, floral wreaths, and boquets of 
flowers. All of the men uncover while the cor- 
tege passes, and many of the devout cross them- 
selves and mumble a prayer for the repose of 
the departed soul. Families will literally starve 
themselves in order to give one of their num- 
ber a "swell funeral," but the very poor are 
placed on a stretcher, covered with a cloth, 
and carried to the Potter's Field. 



CHAPTER VI 
TANGIERS— A VISIT TO A HAREM. 

Tangiers is the most interesting commercial 
center of Morocco. As near as can be estimat- 
ed, the population is 25,000, but census taking 
is well nigh an impossibility, as the people hide 
to escape taxation. 

From the balcony of the principal hotel (The 
Continental) a fascinating panorama spreads 
before one's eyes. At the right a sturdy Moor- 
ish soldier stalks solemnly back and forth along 
the city wall with its many gates and quaint 
battlements. Out beyond the neighboring 
flat-roofed houses — where women come to 
beat flax — lies the Mediterranean, looking as 
restless as ever the Atlantic does. There is a 
terrific storm, and the waves are rolling moun- 
tain high; no boats have left their moorings, 
and though we were to sail for Gibraltar this 
155 



156 WHAT A WOMAN SAW 

morning, we are obliged to wait for the storm to 
subside. It is almost sunset; soon from the 
turrets and spires of Islam will be heard the 
Muezzin's call of the Mohammedan faithful 
to prayer. Five times a day the call is sounded, 
first at daybreak, after the meredian, half way 
between the meredian and night, just after 
sunset, at nightfall, and sometimes a sixth call 
is given at the hour of supper. Washing, or at 
least sprinkling with either sand or water is 
obligatory before prayer. 

The mere mention of Tangiers brings to 
mind the Tales of the Arabian Nights, mental 
pictures of palm-groves, fountains, beautiful 
houris, and a kaleidoscope of brilliant colors. 

No foreigner ever ventures alone beyond the 
portals of his hotel as within two minutes he 
would be hopelessly lost in the entanglement of 
narrow lanes, twisting alleys, and tortuous 
streets so badly paved with rough cobblestones 
that one wonders if it really is a thoroughfare, or 
only the dried up bed of some mountain torrent. 
In nearly all the streets you can touch the houses 
on either side by merely stretching out your 




1. Selem, Our Dragoman •'>. Riffi Women 

2. A Tangier Street 4. In the Grain Market at Tangiers 

5. On the Road to Fez 



IN SOUTH AMERICA 159 

arms; and foot passengers and burdened mules 
that chance to meet can scarcely pass without 
one or the other taking refuge in a doorway. 
Only the streets near the city gates and Market 
Place are of sufficient width for several people 
to walk abreast, and I know of only one where 
camels can go. A maze at the World's Fair 
would be easy to follow in comparison with 
these city streets, and besides the narrowness 
and bad paving they are covered with all sorts 
of vile refuse and litter. Walking becomes a 
fine art and few ladies attempt it, but my cur- 
iosity to see everything has led us through 
streets too narrow for riding, and with Selem, 
our Dragoman, ahead, I next, and Doctor and 
the other gentlemen behind followed by two 
other guides, we have threaded our way in and 
out of all sorts of queer places; but the least 
said about the condition of our shoes on our 
return the better. Only one or two times during 
the year is any attempt made at cleaning the 
streets, and that is accomplished through the 
combined efforts of the different Consuls, who are 
never able to do a tenth part of what they desire. 



i6o WHAT A WOMAN SAW 

The houses are generally one or two stories 
high with flat roofs, where the families gather 
after sundown. They have heavily studded 
doors and high grated windows that give the 
appearance of prisons. Sometimes when a 
door is opened, the passer-by catches a glimpse 
of glistening tiles and rich mosaics, winding 
stairs and muffled figures. The subtle odor 
of hasheesh mingled with the scent of flowers 
and the perfume of incense floats out, and sug- 
gests dreamy-eyed smokers ensconsed upon 
luxurious piles of cushions lost in visions 
of bliss. One tiny pipe of hasheesh brings a 
feeling of happiness, and three pipes wrap the 
smoker in an ecstatic state of rapture wherein 
he feels himself the richest of men, with no 
desire ungratified and even his slightest wish 
immediately fulfilled. 

Everywhere crowds of people hurry hither and 
thither. A most heterogeneous mass of types, 
races, nations, and classes push and jostle each 
other; camels stalking solemnly by squeeze the 
pedestrian; ragged, perspiring water-carriers 
pass with goat-skins held together by ropes of 



IN SOUTH AMERICA 161 

straw, and from which a tiny stream of water 
is constantly trickling down on the tired bearer, 
as he goes from street to street calling to the 
people to come out and buy their day's supply; 
mules with deep saddles and gorgeous trap- 
pings; beautiful Arabian horses; Bedouins 
from the Desert; jet black Nubians with the 
sign of slavery branded on their cheek; truly a 
motley crowd rushing hither and yon. If 
at first the traveller grows impatient at contact 
with all these, and has "insectiferous apprehen- 
sion," he soon finds that no one ever thinks of 
making room for anyone else, and the only way 
to make any progress is to push and knock; 
not a Christian spirit, I admit, but absolutely 
the only way to get on among such people. 
Selem, our Dragoman, is a tall, stately Moor 
of better birth and higher rank than most guides. 
He seems to be well known by all we meet and 
receives greetings and salaams from all sides. 
He has frequently been employed by men sent 
here on secret government service work, and 
that may in a measure account for his acknowl- 
edged superiority. He takes excellent care of 



1 62 WHAT A WOMAN SAW 

us, and with his cane keeps off the dirtiest look- 
ing members of the fraternity of ragtag and 
bobtail mendicants who swarm about crying for 
"baksheesh." But even under his protection 
we find ourselves in constant wonder that we 
are not crushed in the jam, and frequently wish 
we might avail ourselves of the services of the 
Incense seller whose business it is to fumigate 
the "True Believer," but who would not deign to 
waste his time on a "Dog of an Infidel." For 
centuries the Mohammedans regarded Chris- 
tians as ceremonially unclean, and intercourse 
with them polluting. Even today a strict 
follower of the faith will not allow a 
Christian to enter his house for fear he will 
defile it, nor eat of meat or fruit handled by 
him. The time was when a Christian could not 
walk the street when it was raining, because 
the water touching his umbrella contaminated 
the passers-by. Street urchins, with not a 
clean square inch on their bodies, have been 
known to beg money from a Christian and then 
wash the coin before putting it in their pockets. 
The body of a Christian is supposed to have a 



IN SOUTH AMERICA 163 

peculiar smell ; but surely it cannot compare to 
the odors that cling to these unwashed Moors. 
The best place to see the real life is just out- 
side the Sok Gate in the Market Place, where 
pandemonium reigns. There the caravans 
come in from the Desert and the poor tired 
camels lie down to rest while their drivers un- 
load them and spread out the camp equipment. 
All about are bright colored tents and gay um- 
brellas under which sit venders of produce. 
Women muffled to the eyes waddle about like 
animated bundles of wrinkled clothes, or sit 
huddled over their store of hand-woven towels 
and veils; half clothed children dart in and out 
among the legs of people and animals — having 
miraculous escapes, yet always emerging un- 
scathed just as all hope for them seems lost; 
fire-eaters give hair-raising exhibitions; money 
changers with claw-like fingers count piles of 
blackened coins; half-starved dogs search for 
food in piles of refuse; and all around the edges 
of the square are strange little eating-houses 
where date soup is made over braziers, cakes 
are steeped in money, and rolls of meat are fried 



1 64 WHAT A WOMAN SAW 

on spits like knitting-needles. There are innu- 
merable open shops wherein sit the merchants, 
cross-legged on piles of cushions, twisting 
cigarettes and drinking coffee, with all sorts of 
merchandise so closely packed about them in the 
limited space that they can scarcely move. 

Little do they care whether customers come or 
not; if one appears, he must have been sent by 
Providence, and even though several weeks 
elapse without, a sale — 'tis all the same. He 
needs but little to live, and Allah is great. So 
he sits and smokes and dreams. Many of 
these merchants are rich, as they have success- 
fully hidden the money inherited from their 
fore-fathers, and in order to deceive the powers 
that rule, and escape taxation or tithes, they 
hire a small shop, ofttimes a mere hole in the 
wall, place within it a few articles for sale, 
call themselves merchants, and worry not at all. 

Very beautiful gold and silver ornaments are 
offered for sale and fraud is scarcely possible, 
for, as soon as an article is decided upon, both 
buyer and seller go with it to the "Anim," or 
Chief, who carefully examines and weighs it, 



IN SOUTH AMERICA 165 

marks the standard of the metal, and stamps 
it with the seal of the Bey. Then the value is 
calculated, and a trifle over charged for the 
work. 

Astonishing results are obtained with most 
paltry tools, and one sees ancient looms, prim- 
itive lathes, and implements of trade that have 
been handed down from father to son for sev- 
eral generations; yet all the work testifies to 
the skillfulness and infinite patience of Moorish 
workmen. The women do most beautiful 
needlework and their laces show wonderfully 
intricate patterns. 

Hammered brass is used extensively for trays 
and cups, and it is interesting to watch the art- 
isans as they sit in their shops, or in the street, 
bringing into relief flowers and fruits woven in 
among Moorish mottoes and texts from the 
Koran. 

There is a belief among the Moors that cam- 
els were a haughty tribe of men, who believing 
themselves better than the rest of the world, 
broke away from the "True Faith" and set up a 
religion of their own. So Allah, in his wrath, 



166 WHAT A WOMAN SAW 

turned them into camels and compelled them 
to bear the weight of their sins in the shape of 
a hump, and also to carry on their backs the 
goods of the faithful whose beliefs they had 
trampled under foot. Only after all their sins 
are expatiated can they again become men, 
and the more patient they are, the sooner they 
learn to kneel to receive loads, rise at the word 
of command, and overcome their stubborn 
spirit the sooner will their reward come and 
they will be allowed to reincarnate as human 
beings. 

The Moorish race is credulous and super- 
stitious to a high degree and put full faith in 
charms, amulets, incantations, etc. — practicing 
many things to control destiny that are very 
repugnant to our ideas. Everywhere one sees 
cabalistic signs intended to ward off the "Evil 
Eye." One of the most common, the impres- 
sion of an open bleeding hand, is seen every- 
where, even on the backs of saddles and over 
doorways. Little hands carved in ivory or 
coral are known as "fatma hands." They are 
a talisman against evil influences. Verses 



IN SOUTH AMERICA 167 

copied from the Koran are thought to be most 
efficacious when bound over any affected part 
of the body, and cupping is a panacea for all 
ills, as these people refuse medicine on account 
of their fear of poisoning. 

No Moslem ever eats pork, and he must not 
even touch any kind of meat that is not killed by 
having its throat cut. This operation must be 
performed by a male who, turning to the East, 
draws his knife across the victim's throat while 
saying "In the Name of God." 

The Moorish women are jealously guarded, 
and the law allows each man to have four wives. 
A woman must never go out alone and never, 
never may she be seen unveiled by any man ex- 
cept her father, brother, or husband. Girls 
are sold to their future husbands when very 
young, and as excessive fatness is one of the 
requirements for beauty, as soon as an engage- 
ment is sealed it becomes Mama's duty to fat- 
ten trie bride-to-be. Her food must be of fat- 
producing elements, and crumbs of expressly 
prepared bread are rolled and moulded into 
great pellets called "harrabel," that are rather 



168 WHAT A WOMAN SAW 

thicker and nearly as long as the thumb; these 
are swallowed after each meal and again at 
bedtime by aid of a little tea or steeped thyme. 
Forty to fifty are taken each dayand the process 
is literally a cramming one, for when the poor 
girl will no longer voluntarily partake of them, 
the pills are pressed as far as possible down 
her throat and the act of swallowing must nec- 
essarily follow. The stuffing, to my mind, 
resembles the "pate-de-fois-gras" feeding, only 
in this case the victim is not eaten but immolated 
on the altar of custom. 

A Moorish woman can never be too fat, but 
twenty days "treatment" is generally considered 
sufficient, and the poor girl is then allowed to 
rest. Envy fills the heart of every woman who 
sees someone stouter than herself. A special 
favorite of one of the great men in Tangiers is 
of such immense proportions that when she 
walks it is necessary to have a strong slave on 
either side to support her, while a third is close 
behind with a chair upon which she drops 
groaning and puffing after every few steps. 
We were fortunate enough to meet this cum- 



IN SOUTH AMERICA 169 

bersome mountain of flesh during one of her 
promenades, and it was indeed ludicrous to 
watch the difficulties attending her downsittings 
and uprisings and hear her vigorous snorts 
that would have done credit to an elephant. 

Weddings nearly always occur at night and 
Thursday is the usual day of the week chosen. 
There is no real ceremony, but the bride, ar- 
rayed in her finery and closely veiled, is con- 
veyed to her husband's home in a kind of wick- 
er cage resembling our hampers and tied round 
with her sash as an indication of her presence 
within. It is then placed on the back 
of a mule and supported on either side 
by a man. In front march gunners who keep 
up a perpetual firing, and behind walk men 
carrying lanterns, and others with musical in- 
struments from which they wrench monotonous 
ear-splitting melodies(?). This parade moves 
through the streets for some time, and then 
the tired little bride is dumped unceremoniously 
across the threshold of her new home, where she 
is on probation for six months. If not beauti- 
ful nor amiable enough to please her lord and 



170 WHAT A WOMAN SAW 

master he may, at the expiration of that time, 
return her to her parents as unsatisfactory and 
seek a new wife. Instead of a marriage ring 
such as European nations use, the Moorish 
badge of wifehood is a large ear-ring measuring 
fully four inches across, and often so heavy that 
it requires other support than the ear itself, 
which sags disgustingly under the weight. 

Women blacken their eyelids with kohl, 
stain their hands and nails with henna, and 
adorn themselves with innumerable bracelets 
and necklaces — usually of good quality. The 
amount of jewelry worn is usually indicative 
of the favor they find in the eyes of their hus- 
bands. Among the tribes of the Desert if a girl 
touches an Arab's horse between the eyes it is 
equivalent to saying she is willing to ride to 
the end of the world with him, but aside from 
this I have not heard of a Moorish woman's 
ever being allowed to express any preference 
as to whom she likes. 

There are many Jews in Morocco, and their 
wedding customs are even stranger than those 
of the Moors. On Thursday, two weeks before 



IN SOUTH AMERICA 171 

the actual marriage ceremony, occurs what is 
called "terere el gumlih," and consists in the 
breaking of a jar containing corn at the door 
of the bride's chamber as a symbolic wish that 
she may be fruitful. On the following Thurs- 
day the groom, accompanied by all the rela- 
tives of the bride and himself, attend service 
at the Synagogue and afterwards entertains 
them at breakfast. At one o'clock the party 
assembles on the galleries surrounding the pa- 
tio of the groom's house, where a priest cuts the 
throat of a bull to the accompaniment of wild 
music and rejoicing by "taghareet" — which 
is a sharp squealing noise made while the tongue 
moves rapidly from side to side of the mouth, and 
is a mark of happiness much practised by the 
elder women of both Moors and Jews. After 
the sacrifice, a cloth is placed over the body of 
the bull and upon this the company throws 
down money, each calling out his name as 
he does so, and then saying "God be with Mer- 
chant or Mr. So-and-So (the name of the groom). 
The more money given, the more honor is 
considered to have been paid the couple, but 



172 WHAT A WOMAN SAW 

the priest and his attendants keep the spoils. 
At the conclusion of this ceremony the groom 
takes a bit of cotton wool dipped in a mixture of 
honey and henna and places it, together with a 
piece of money, upon the head of the bride as 
an omen of future prosperity. 

On Saturday the groom, who has previously 
attended service and for a second time enter- 
tained at breakfast during which the guests sang 
sacred songs and hymns, comes to the house of 
the bride, and with the single men, enters a room 
where she is seated on a dais with her spinster 
friends ranged along the two sides. They are 
arrayed in their best finery and have used all 
their arts to make themselves attractive in the 
eyes of the young men who have come to choose 
wives from among their number. Having 
made their selection the men send presents to 
the parents or guardians of their ladies, and if 
they prove acceptable, each one goes with his 
friends to the house and immediately becomes 
formally engaged, but from that time he does 
not see his betrothed until the beginning of the 
marriage festivities, 



IN SOUTH AMERICA 173 

The next step in the service is to accuse the 
groom of some crime and he is condemned to 
receive a certain number of lashes, which are 
by members of the party who have previously 
been provided with stout silken cords for the 
purpose. Then he demands to be ransomed by 
the bride and she usually immediately divests 
herself of her jewelry and trinkets and hands 
them over for his redemption. Should she 
hesitate or refuse, the groom is hoisted upon the 
backs of some of the men while the others be- 
labor him soundly. Then the party disperses 
only to reassemble in the evening, when the 
long-suffering groom is placed upon the backs of 
two men and danced up and down before the 
bride amid a great tumult of music and 
shouting. 

When at last he is allowed to take a seat be- 
side her they both dip their hands into a dish 
containing leavening, as a token of their future 
thrift and attention to domestic duties. A 
supper follows during which the couple remain 
seated on the throne, but the bride may not 
partake of anything except water that is now 



174 WHAT A WOMAN SAW 

and then raised to her lips by a little girl, who 
also fans her as she sits immovable as a statue 
in the midst of the gay revelry. The following 
Wednesday evening is "Henna Night," when 
the groom and his followers again go to the 
home of the bride and he applies henna to her 
hands and removes a ring from her finger, or a 
bracelet from her arm, which he wears until 
the nuptials. The real wedding occurs the 
next day when the bride is conducted after 
dark to her future home by a crowd of relatives, 
men bearing huge wax candles, and preceded 
by music, dancing women and elderly ladies 
clicking taghareet. With closed eyes she is 
led along the rough streets by two relatives, 
each holding a hand, and her head is held in 
proper position by a female relative. Upon 
arrival at the house she is met by the groom 
with "The Law" bound about his forehead, 
who leads her to a dais and the ceremony is 
performed. He places a ring upon her finger 
and gives her a piece of gold or silver money; 
the priest blesses a glass of wine and gives them 
each a sip, after which the groom breaks the 



IN SOUTH AMERICA 175 

glass as a sign that they never wish to be parted 
until the glass is again whole; then the head of 
the bride is formally enveloped in a handker- 
chief after the manner of matrons, and the 
wedding is over. 

Through the influence of Mr. — , long famil- 
iar with Tangiers life and people, and our Con- 
sul, I was fortunate enough to be invited to 
visit a real harem, and my heart beat high with 
expectation as we followed the guide through 
the narrow twisting streets and stopped before 
a heavily studded door that looked strong 
enough to withstand the siege of a battering 
ram. The echo of the ponderous knocker had 
scarcely died away before a small slave opened 
the peep-hole and, seeing who was without, 
scurried away to bring the proper escort for the 
white foreigner, who was to be allowed the 
great privilege of entering the carefully guarded 
house. Soon appeared a giant negress absurd- 
ly stout and lavishly adorned with dozens of 
little silver boxes, tubes, jewelled cases contain- 
ing holy relics such as a hair from Mohammed's 
beard, a bit of web spun by the sacred spider 



176 WHAT A WOMAN SAW 

that saved his life, charms, fatma hands, blest 
moles' feet, texts from the Koran, all jingling 
and rattling and tinkling as she walked, or 
rather waddled, with many low bows and sal- 
aams bidding me enter. After bidding adieu 
to the Doctor and other gentlemen and receiv- 
ing renewed assurance that I would be perfect- 
ly safe, I stepped over the threshold and the 
ponderous door was swung to behind me. I 
was conducted along several long winding pas- 
sages to a beautiful open court, with graceful 
arches and paved in exquisite mosaics. The air 
was cooled by a softly splashing fountain whose 
spray bedewed quantities of roses, aloes, and 
pomegranates. Just beyond the fountain we 
were met by two white robed slave girls, who 
sprinkled me with rose-water from slender long 
necked vessels of silver, while a saucy red-crest- 
ed bird alighted on a swaying oleander bough 
and cocking his bright little eye at me chirped, 
as if to say "Who are you?" apparently as much 
surprised to see me as I was to find myself there. 
The living rooms of the house surround the 
quadrangle on all sides, opening upon it with 



IN SOUTH AMERICA 177 

long galleries and colonnades, and the walls 
and ceilings are beautifully decorated with gold 
arabesques and delicate traceries. I was con- 
ducted to a long room containing no furniture 
nor pictures (the latter being forbidden by the 
Mohammedan religion) but huge divans with 
luxurious cushions of silver brocade ran around 
the wall, and there were several large rugs of 
soft harmonious coloring that delighted the 
eye, and numerous small inlaid stands of ex- 
quisite design and workmanship. Lounging 
on the rugs and divans were eight women wrap- 
ped in soft silk and cashmere robes, all gazing 
at poor little me. For a moment I felt like 
some strange animal in a travelling menagerie, 
a fly under a microscope or the proverbial cat 
in a strange garret. After a solemn bowing 
and hand-shaking I was invited to sit down, 
which I endeavored to do after the most approv- 
ed Moorish cross-legged fashion, and was glad 
to conceal from view under my skirts my heavy 
tramping shoes that as a guest I had been al- 
lowed to retain instead of leaving them outside, 
as is the custom when entering any building. 



178 WHAT A WOMAN SAW 

We could converse only in signs and I was 
amused at the frank curiosity exhibited over my 
clothes. They received minute inspection, and 
the child-like creatures were especially anxious 
to peep into a bag that hung over my shoulder 
and contained my camera; but I was not allow- 
ed to take any pictures, as the mere act of point- 
ing the instrument at a person is sure to bring 
evil upon them. Soon a eunuch placed some 
very expensive East Indian wood in a censer 
to do me honor, and for a few minutes, we were 
wrapt in a dense odoriferous smoke that long 
after clung about my clothing with a pleasing 
fragrance. Tea was made in a silver samovar 
and served to us by a tiny Nubian, who was 
black as ink and decked in most gorgeous trap- 
pings. The tea was flavored with fresh mint, 
anise seed, and cinnamon and was very sweet, 
but the highly spiced little cakes known as 
"gazelles' shoes" were both pretty and palata- 
ble. While we drank our tea and nibbled 
cakes, a slave sang to an accompaniment of 
cymbals, tambourines, and a two-stringed vio- 
lin whose shape reminded me of a fish trying to 



IN SOUTH AMERICA 179 

swallow its own tail. While I enjoyed my sur- 
roundings, the novelty of the affair, and the 
anticipation of the pleasure to be had hereafter 
from thinking it over, I must confess that there 
occasionally flashed across my mind a thought 
as to the awful fate of women (especially white 
women) shut up in such places, and my heart 
sank at the bare idea of such an incarceration. 
But I had the cheering knowledge that Doctor 
and several influential friends awaited me out- 
side the door, and there would be "something 
doing" if I did not appear within a reasonable 
length of time. Refreshments over, I was 
made to understand that the great treat was 
about to come, and having tried to signal my 
appreciation, it came. My surprise was gen- 
uine when an American phonograph was 
brought in and some American airs 
played. Then some Moorish records were 
put on and one of the concubines sang 
the words of the music and seemed 
greatly pleased at my applause. Soon after, 
the big negress appeared, and finding that I 
had not lost all use of my legs from having so 



i8o WHAT A WOMAN SAW 

long sat on them, I made my adieux and depart- 
ed, glad of the opportunity I had had to see 
the real harem life, yet truly thankful to be 
once more safely on the street side of the door. 



CHAPTER VII. 

TANGIERS. 

We have cast discreet glances toward the en- 
trance of the Mosque of Yemma-el-Kebir; 
visited the Kasbah, where are the Courts of 
Justice in which the Ferek, or Governor, daily 
sits to hear troubles, judge misdemeanors, 
pronounce sentences, and give opinions on 
cases brought to him; we have seen the Govern- 
or's Palace, the Treasury, and been into the 
Goal where the conditions of the poor prisoners 
are worse than that of animals. The prison 
building is a great excavation with little mason- 
ry and absolutely no sanitation. It is dark, 
gruesome, and inexpressibly gloomy and filthy. 
Innocent and guilty alike are herded like sheep, 
each man's case absolutely hopeless unless he is 
possessed of sufficient money to buy his liberty. 
The stench is almost unbearable, and mostgrue- 
181 



1 82 WHAT A WOMAN SAW 

some is the clanking of the chains as the poor 
wretches crowd to the small aperture through 
which the visitor may look in upon them. The 
daily ration is a loaf of bread and a pint of water, 
but other food may be obtained from chari- 
table friends, and the men are allowed to make 
and sell baskets from materials donated to them, 
but more often the money paid goes into the 
pocket of the jailer instead of to the hungry 
prisoners. 

For the slightest misdemeanor they are 
terribly beaten in most cruel ways unless 
they can in some way secure money to buy 
off the brute who wields the cudgeons to give 
light strokes, and even then he is not as gentle 
as they have a right to expect from the heavi- 
ness of the bribe. Theft from a stsanger is 
permissible, but to steal from a fellow Moor is 
one of the worst of crimes. The first offense 
is punished by burning out an eye with a red hot 
iron, and the other eye meets the same fate if 
the man offend, a second time. It is a common 
thing to see beggars who were once theives led 
about by a small boy or a dog, the bleeding 






1. A Water Carrier. 3. Cacti Hedge about a Riffi Village 

2. In a Moorish Garden 4. On the Mountain Near Tangiers 

5. A Riffi Belle at Her Toilette 



IN SOUTH AMERICA 185 

cavities that once contained eyes swarming 
with flies and vermin. But the worst punish- 
ment of all — far more cruel and fiendish than 
chaining a man for life in a loathsome dungeon 
or burning out his eyes, is "the punishment 
of salt." The guilty man is bound with cords 
and then four deep incisions, reaching to the 
bone, are cut in the palm of each hand, the gap- 
ing wounds filled with salt, and the fingers 
broken and pressed down into the mutilated 
palms. Then a wet cow-skin glove is tightly 
sewed on, so that as it dries and shrinks and 
hardens the agony will be more excrutiating. 

The unfortunate maimed is then thrown into 
prison where he suffers most frightful tortures, 
especially when the growing finger nails press 
deeper into the flesh. Usually tetanus sets in 
and death results, but the majority beat their 
brains out against the walls of their cells so as 
to sooner end their agony. 

Each year many slaves are bought and sold 
in Morocco, most of them being stolen from 
their homes in the Soudan. The traders lure 
the girls by scattering sweetmeats, or during 



1 86 WHAT A WOMAN SAW 

hard times corn, outside the village in a line to 
a cover close by, just as in England the poachers 
coax pheasants with raisins. The slaves are 
brought into the city and for several days be- 
fore a sale they are paraded through the princi- 
pal streets and the Sok, attended by a crier who 
makes known their particular characteristics 
and qualifications. Then on the day of the 
sale they are put up exactly the same as animals, 
and it is not pleasant to watch the intending 
purchaser eyeing them over, drawing down the 
veils of the girls to examine their teeth the same 
as a horse-dealer looks over the equines at the 
other side of the market. A healthy well- 
grown boy or girl brings about the equivalent 
of one hundred dollars, but very beautiful girls 
often sell for five or six hundred. Incredible as 
it seems, slave dealers purchase strong healthy 
slaves and by them raise as many children 
as possible; and as soon as these little unfortu- 
nates are old enough for the market they are 
sold. Children under twelve are rented out as 
companions for other children, but after twelve 
most of the girls are sent to the harems. 



IN SOUTH AMERICA 187 

The dress of this country is very picturesque. 
The men wear a finely worked shirt (kumja) 
fastened up the front with small buttons and 
loops, very loose baggy drawers, and to hold 
these a wide sash of silk or wool is wound about 
the waist, over which is slipped a coat with 
large sleeves called the "kaftan." The feet 
are usually bare and thrust into loose yellow 
slippers, which are invariably left at the door 
when entering a house or Mosque. The fez 
which covers the head is never left off. No one 
looking at these would suppose them to be 
originally knitted from white wool and of a size 
large enough to draw over a bushel basket; but 
through constant washing, beating, and drying 
they are reduced to proper dimensions, and then 
treated to a process of dyeing and pressing that 
eventually turns them out as the most impor- 
tant article of a Moor's costume. 

A green turban or fez indicates that the wearer 
has made a pilgrimage to Mecca, and married 
men wind soft folds of white cloth around the 
fez to show that they are "Benedicts." Over 
all is worn a graceful flowing cape, or mantle, 



1 88 WHAT A WOMAN SAW 

called the "haik" that hangs from the shoulders, 
but in cold or rainy weather is replaced by a 
"jalabujah" — a cloak made from thick wool 
with a long pointed hood called "jilabeer," 
and holes for the arms to pass through. 

One thing that strikes us is the wonderful 
use the lower classes make of their feet, and es- 
pecially of the big toe, for like all Orientals 
accustomed to going barefoot the big toe is 
well developed, and it seems to be no effort for 
a man to pick up a coin from the floor with his 
toes, or keep a board in position when sawing. 

We have done the town as thoroughly as it is 
possible for a foreigner to do it, yet each time 
we saunter forth we find something new and 
interesting. Especially pleasing was a ride out 
to one of the Riffi villages. We had an early 
breakfast and set out soon after seven. Each 
one of the party was mounted on a mule or don- 
key (with a donkey boy running behind, pound- 
ing, whacking, and punching the animals un- 
mercifully, and screaming the peculiar nasal 
cry used to urge the sturdy little beasts to a 
faster pace). No amount of thumping can 



IN SOUTH AMERICA 189 

induce them to go at any other than their own 
steady jog and they do not seem to mind the 
blows to which they have been treated since 
earliest remembrance, and which have hardened 
their rough skins until they are well nigh insen- 
sible to pain. . We meandered along past bright 
colored buildings; through the busy crowds of 
natives with their dusky skins; through groups 
of bulky shiny-faced negroes, lean bodied Arabs 
and emaciated slaves who wore only drawers, and 
red cords tied about their heads; past long cara- 
vans of shuffling camels, whose sneering con- 
tempt for mankind was very noticeable as they 
gazed over our heads, or fed from a cloth spread 
under their food as they are too dainty to eat 
from the ground. We went out through the 
Market Place where numbers of storks stood on 
one leg as they watched us pass. No Moor will 
harm a stork, for everyone knows that the stork 
was once a Sultan who, being very young and 
very vain, laughed irreverently at some old 
men who one day came to pay him their re- 
spects. Allah's wrath was aroused by such 
impoliteness and he suddenly changed the 



igo WHAT A WOMAN SAW 

thoughtless young Sultan into a stork. The 
birds are looked upon with great respect and 
are seen everywhere, even roosting on the 
house-tops among the women; and at Fez there 
is a hospital for wounded or sick storks, where 
everything possible is done for their comfort, 
an attention they repay by building their nests 
in most unexpected places and perching in 
stately attitudes all about the city. 

Leaving the bridle-path our way led through 
narrow lanes lined with hedges of cacti inter- 
spersed with aloes, whose abundant spikes rose 
to heights varying from fifteen to twenty feet; 
past high-walled gardens where apricots and 
pomegranates flowered and birds sang in the 
deep shade. Occasionally we caught sight of 
white-clad women drawing water from ancient 
wells into earthen jars, while ducks and geese 
were paddling happily through the mud-puddles 
formed by the overflow from the wells; girls 
were washing garments on the stones of a tiny 
brook, using a native grass seed in place of 
soap, and then spreading them to dry white 
and clean upon some of the low bushes, while 



IN SOUTH AMERICA 191 

they gossiped over the newest styles in anklets, 
most of which are handed down from generation 
to generation and are worn smooth by constant 
rubbing against human flesh. Once we met a 
party of women bending under the weight of 
baskets filled with firewood. They were ac- 
companied by a man — probably the owner or 
husband of them all — who rode comfortably 
astride a sleek donkey, smoking a villianous 
looking pipe that belched forth clouds of ill- 
smelling smoke, while he abused the girls sound- 
ly for not moving more quickly. 

Then our way led across what was nor- 
mally the bed of a creek but now 
a sea of liquid mud that spouted up and 
around us as our faithful animals paddled 
through, apparently unmindful of the horrid 
stench they stirred up. The rest of the 
route was more agreable, and we rode under 
the drooping boughs of ancient trees, across 
green stretches dotted with iris and marigolds, 
past mounds of sand, over a desert waste; and 
finally to the rude little village of low reed- 
thatched huts of mud surrounded by thorny 



i 9 2 WHAT A WOMAN SAW 

hedges of cacti, where lives one of the strange 
Riffi tribes. They live for the most part in 
the mountains north of Tangiers, but a few have 
built their homes in the little oasis about half 
a day's journey outside the city walls, where 
they come and go like gypsies. The men wear 
only a loin cloth and a long flowing mantle, and 
are conspicuous by a lock of hair left to grow 
long at one side of their smoothly shaven heads, 
doubtless for the convenience of the angel 
whose duty it will sometime be to jerk them 
up into heaven. 

The women are fat and frowsy and have a 
blue tatoo reaching from the nose down under 
the chin, that gives a queer look to their faces 
as they peep out from the voluminous folds of 
their mantles. Instead of veils they wear im- 
mense hats, and a cloth folded across the center 
of the face, leaving only eyes and chin un- 
covered. It is a mystery how they breathe. 

On another day we climbed to the top of 
the mountain to see an enchanting view of Tan- 
giers cradled in a niche of the hillside in all the 
glamor and beauty of its oriental splendor. 



IN SOUTH AMERICA 193 

We could also see the summer residence of the 
Governor's brother. It is a white palace set 
high above the city in the midst of luxurious 
gardens, where a hundred slaves wait to fulfill 
the slightest wish of their master. We return- 
ed to the hotel by a different route in order to 
halt at an Arab cemetery scattered over two 
low hills, covered with sage-bush and sand. 
The late afternoon sun was beating down upon 
the graves of saints and sinners alike, but send- 
ing long shadows that warned us we must not 
linger too long or the darkness would be upon 
us ere we reached the city. There were carved 
sepulchres of rich men, koubbahs (odd little 
cupola crowned buildings wherein lie the bod- 
ies of saints or holy-men). People who can 
trace the slightest descent from the great 
Mohammed are considered holy and regarded 
with great veneration. There is no name 
on any grave — not even on the grandest 
tomb, but over the last resting place 
of the faithful who have made a pilgrimage 
to Mecca is placed a marble turban. 

We have seen several Moorish funerals and 



194 WHAT A WOMAN SAW 

tried not to crane our necks with too much 
infidel curiosity as they passed. The body 
of the dead is wrapped in a knotted shroud 
on which is laid a turban if a man, and a shawl 
if a woman, and covered with a flag from the 
tomb of some Saint. It is then sprinkled with 
water from the Holy Well at ZemZem, which 
is by the Mosque in Mecca and said to have 
been miraculously provided for Hagar when 
Ishmael was a little boy and almost dying of 
thirst, in the Wilderness. Two or four men 
carry the body on a stretcher-like bier, while 
a crowd of ragged fellows walking near chant in 
weird sonorous tones the praises of Allah, "who 
gives one life to his servant here and an 
eternity of bliss hereafter in Paradise." Burial 
quickly follows death. The body is placed 
on the right side facing toward Mecca, in a 
shallow grave scarcely two feet deep, and the 
shroud untied so that "there may be no delay 
on the Day of Resurrection." There is one 
advantage in having such shallow graves for 
should the friends be a bit premature in the 
funeral arrangements, the interred may by 



IN SOUTH AMERICA 195 

exerting a little energy, rejoin those who mourn 
his departure. For three mornings after the 
funeral, veiled women of the bereaved family 
distribute bread and fruit to the poor who 
assemble near the cemetery, and they also 
lay sprigs of flowering myrtle and young leaves 
of palm upon the grave, over which a water- 
carrier then empties his bag. 

We were strangers, intruders, dogs of infidels, 
so might not enter the sacred precincts of the 
burial grounds and thereby desecrate the very 
ground — for to approach a tomb within a cer- 
tain distance would be an unpardonable offense, 
more than likely to bring a sudden and fearful 
death upon the offender. On Fridays from 
twelve to six cemeteries are closed to men, and 
the women meet there for social chats and vis- 
its. It is an odd sight to see their white 
shrouded figures flitting about like ghosts, or 
hobnobbing together as they contentedly 
chew a sweetmeat made of butter, hasheesh, 
nutmeg, and cloves. Sometimes they are to 
be seen rubbing themselves over with a stone, 
or some sand from the tomb of a Marabout 



196 WHAT A WOMAN SAW 

before making an offering to the "Fokih," or 
attendant of the place, so that he will unite his 
prayers with theirs that Allah will be grac- 
ious. Women desiring a son usually leave a 
bit of their veil, or a handkerchief, hanging in 
the doorway of the house of a saint, — doubt- 
less as a reminder of their requests, — and they 
are firm in their belief that special benedictions 
fall upon those making such offerings. On the 
day of our visit up the mountain we passed the 
long since deserted house, or rather cave, of 
one of these holy men and counted sixty pieces 
of veils waving and fluttering from the little 
twigs and branches of an Indian fig-tree that 
grew in one of the crevices of the wall, flaunting 
its yellow flowers high over the pathetic little 
signs of faith in the efficacy of the power of a 
man long since reunited with the dust from 
which he sprang. 

In this strange old city, one never knows at 
what moment some novelty will be seen. 
Sometimes it is a barber plying his vocation in 
the street and scraping an unfezzed head, while 
his customer sits calmly in the shade of a multi- 



IN SOUTH AMERICA 197 

colored umbrella. Sometimes it is a beggar 
carrying a long pole from which floats a strip 
of white cloth that is here the badge of mend- 
icity; sometimes a group of Arab women flitting 
silently along from one shadowy street to anoth- 
er like wandering ghosts; sometimes a madman, 
for the insane are objects of veneration in Mor- 
occo, and the belief is that Allah has taken the 
lunatic's mind into His divine keeping, while 
the body is left a little longer space of time to 
wander on the earth. We are told that mad- 
ness is often feigned so as to profit by the fav- 
ors always shown to maniacs. Holy men come 
in from their caves to beg for food and money. 
Only this morning we encountered some 
"whirling dervishes," and nearly every day 
we meet an old Nubian arrayed in fantastic 
robes bound about with all sorts of things ac- 
quired in his wanderings: charms, bells, shells, 
brass-headed nails, teeth, watch springs, keys, 
etc. and a mantle that may have once been whole, 
but is now like unto Joseph's coat and vies 
with the most elaborate crazy-quilts in its 
rainbow tints and color effects. The pieces are 



i 9 8 WHAT A WOMAN SAW 

put on "hit-or-miss," some sewed, some pinned, 
and some attached with thorns. As soon as he 
sees a stranger he begins a peculiar writhing 
dance, and a chant accompanied by wild con- 
tortions, gesticulations, and heathenish grim- 
aces, moving his head rapidly back and forth 
to weird music wrenched from an immense 
pair of iron castanets. He is so repulsive that 
he fascinates, but is a worthy old creature, 
absolutely harmless, and inordinately proud 
of having been with Barnum for six years, a 
time that to him stands out as the red-letter 
period of his life and raises him high in the 
estimation of his fellows. 

We have listened to the gibberish of the 
public story-tellers, who relate long tales handed 
down by word of mouth for many generations 
and listened to by crowds of eager natives, who 
sit about on their heels or lounge on their 
mantles, entranced by the marvelous fables. 
While he talks, he plays monotonously on a 
much battered violin, only ceasing his tune to 
illustrate his words by expressive gestures and 
eccentric steps. 



IN SOUTH AMERICA 199 

My skin creeps every time I think of the 
snake charmer and his exhibition. He keeps 
his menagerie in a cylindrical basket into which 
he thrusts his hand and pulls out two hideous 
reptiles writhing and hissing as he whirls them 
about his head. Soon a crowd gathers and he 
hangs one serpent about his neck while he teas- 
es and twists the other until it is furiously 
angry and then he allows it to bite him, which 
it seems to do with much enjoyment. He 
allows it to fasten itself on his tongue, darting 
in its fangs until the blood flows freely and al- 
most instantly the tongue begins to swell and 
turn dark. Then he performs a number of 
tricks, such as lighting dried grass by touching 
it to his tongue, drawing flowers from his mouth 
etc., and finally begins swallowing the snake 
tail first while it writhes and lashes, striking 
again and again, and even thrusting its fangs 
into his eye. Ough! During the performance 
a man crouching on the ground keeps up an 
incessant thrumming on a native drum, while 
another draws a plaintive wailing note from 
a reed flute. 



200 WHAT A WOMAN SAW 

Whenever a snake charmer allows a 
snake to bite him, the native onlookers 
always touch their foreheads and invoke 
Sidi ben Aissa — a saint whose power to pro- 
tect snake charmers from sudden death is be- 
lieved unfailing. Black cobras and spotted 
leffa snakes are the ones most frequently used, 
and the men who handle them begin when very 
young to inject the virus into their systems 
and after a few years really become immune to 
the poison. It was a repulsive scene, yet every 
tourist wishes to see it, but few care to again be 
spectators. One of the strangers who witnessed 
the affair with us wished to test the poison of 
the bite and ordered a live chicken brought 
from the market close by; the charmer made the 
snake bite it and almost instantly it died. 
When the "post-mortem" was held its flesh 
was found to have turned black, yet the owner 
of the snake suffered no ill effects at all. 

We were interested in the strange religious 
dances of the Soudanese, — ebony-hued men 
arrayed in loose short trousers and sashes 
which their companions seize to swing them 



IN SOUTH AMERICA 201 

round and round in perfect whirlwinds of speed. 
Sometimes they make themselves into human 
hoops and go rolling through beds of live coals; 
and again they run about on their hands and 
feet like huge spiders, while all the time a 
grizzled old wizard with skin like rhinoceros 
hide beats a tom-tom, and a swarthy giant 
towering head and shoulders above his mates, 
waves and shakes an immense pair of cymbals. 
We chanced to be in Tangiers at the time of 
Mohammed's birthday, when the followers 
of a sect known as "Hamadshe" — (followers 
of Sidi Ali bel Hamdush) go on a pilgrimage 
from Tangiers to Mequinez. The start is 
made after a religious ceremony during which 
the inspired dance slowly backwards in a semi- 
circle until one of them, being filled with the 
proper fervor, rushes into the ring and seizing 
a battle-axe begins beating his own head and 
prostrating himself. This he continues to do 
until far enough spent to satisfy the director of 
ceremonies who restrains him. Sometimes 
there are as many as ten or fifteen fanatics danc- 
ing up and down, pounding their heads at the 



202 WHAT A WOMAN SAW 

same time and the square near the great Sok 
literally flows with blood. 

The Moors claim that it was on their coast 
that the whale disgorged Jonah, and on the 
spot where this is said to have occurred they 
have erected a temple built of the ribs and 
jaw bones of whales. Really quite appropri- 
ate materials. 

The Bay of Tangiers has a very shelving 
bottom where soles abound and the natives 
have a curious way of catching them. A man 
wades in up to his waist, and as the slightest 
ripple would interfere with his locating the fish, 
he carefully pours out a small quantity of oil and 
as soon as the surface is smooth and an unsus- 
pecing fish swims by, he strikes with a long 
barbed spear and rarely misses his aim. 

One rainy night we paddled out under an 
umbrella to visit a Moorish cafe. A lantern is 
a most important accessory for an evening 
stroll in Tangiers, not only to show the way, 
but to prevent stepping into the many evil- 
smelling mud puddles, or treading on dead 
dogs and cats that seem to appear by magic. 



IN SOUTH AMERICA 203 

Few people were abroad, and after following our 
lantern-bearer and dragoman through narrow 
lanes and up a steep flight of stairs we found our- 
selves in a long low room with wide tiled dado and 
frieze, the floor covered with dirty grass-woven 
mats, and the air reeking with smoke. De- 
voutly praying that there were no holes in 
our stockings we left our shoes in the long line 
of foot coverings belonging to other visitors 
and frequenters of the house and sat down 
cross-legged in a corner where we could see the 
entire place. Bitter sweet coffee was brought 
us and this we tried to drink while we listened 
to native singers (howlers) chanting tales of 
the early conquests of the Moors, of their 
fall and expulsion from Granada, closing with 
a long drawn out wail of mourning for the pres- 
ent state of affairs, and then a jubilant hope 
for restored power and fame in days to come. 
The language in Morocco is Arabic, and edu- 
cation usually means a little arithmetic and com- 
miting to memory some of the chapters of the 
Koran. There are schools every few blocks 
where the children sit cross-legged on the floor 



204 WHAT A WOMAN SAW 

about the teacher. He recites aloud in a 
monotonous tone, his body swaying back and 
forth and his head bobbing. The boys repeat 
the words aloud until they are fastened in 
their minds, and the uproar can be heard 
several blocks away. Sometimes the teacher 
writes a text on a small board and the boys 
copy it, (thus gaining some idea of the Arabic 
characters,) but usually everything is learned 
parrot fashion. Girls are never educated, for 
they do not count. When one is born there is 
wailing on the threshold for forty days; but 
baby boys are always welcome, and immediate- 
ly upon birth a prayer is whispered into the 
right ear to ward off evil spirits. 

We have had only one glimpse of the Sultan 
and then he was riding a beautiful white horse, 
which signifies that his majesty is pleased, 
but when he appears on a black horse the peo- 
ple know that something has angered their 
ruler and they hide their heads in fear. 

When the Sultan travels it is with a cortege 
of wonderful magnificence. Sixty mules are 
required to transport his tent alone, which is. 



IN SOUTH AMERICA 205 

an ambulatory palace furnished in greatest 
splendor and equipped with everything con- 
dusive to the comfort of the great man. Noth- 
ing must ever be allowed to disturb or annoy 
him, and we are told that when in camp a high 
wind chances to arise during the night, the 
stakes of the tent must not be driven in with 
mallets for fear the pounding might arouse the 
Sultan, and so a regiment is routed from slum- 
ber and seated around the tent to hold the 
ropes in place. 



CHAPTER VIII 

GIBRALTAR— ALGECIRAS— BOBADIL- 
LA—RONDA— SEVILLE. 

The storm abated as suddenly as it rose and 
we left Tangiers in the afternoon, reaching 
the ship after a hard struggle with the waves 
that seemed determined to swamp our staunch 
little boat. Selem told us that the sea would 
only quiet after it had taken toll of three human 
lives, and in apparent corroboration of this 
tale three sailors were drowned while trying 
to get ashore from one of the vessels in the 
harbor. 

Arriving at Gibraltar after a dangerous 
crossing we found the town built in terraces 
along the west slope of "The Rock" towering 
1430 feet above the sea. Risingabruptlyoutof 
the ocean the granite monster — placid in its 
impregnability — is honey-combed with forts. 
206 



IN SOUTH AMERICA 207 

At every angle a black-muzzled cannon stares 
one in the face. The red coats of the soldiers 
give color to the otherwise gloomy streets. 
The original inhabitants of Gibraltar were a 
half-tame tribe of tailless apes said to be de- 
scended from the "Apes of Tarsheesh" sent, 
together with peacocks and offerings of silver, 
gold and ivory, to King Solomon every three 
years. Only a few are now left and they are 
carefully protected by the garrison who relig- 
iously register all births and deaths. Several 
attempts have been made to increase the ape 
population by the importation of other apes, 
but the old tribe resents such intrusions and 
promptly kills every newcomer. 

We were obliged to rise at half past four the 
morning we left, in order to catch the boat 
across the bay to Algeciras, whence starts the 
morning train for Bobadilla. The Spaniards 
were so jealous of Gibraltar's commercial im- 
portance that, although the rail road was built 
by English capital, it was not allowed^to start 
from Gibraltar and was obliged to establish 
its terminus at Algeciras. After we arrived 



208 WHAT A WOMAN SAW 

there we had the pleasure of undergoing a 
custom-house inspection. We have been 
through that ordeal thirteen times since leav- 
ing New York. We purchased some ancient 
sandwiches and some cold boiled eggs that had 
seen better days and settled ourselves in the 
corners of a delapidated coach that bumped 
its way along over the worst road-bed on which 
it has been our misfortune to travel. We 
napped most of the way to Bobadilla, where we 
enjoyed a delicious hot breakfast, and after 
changing cars continued our journey to Ronda. 
There we encountered a party of Cook's Tour- 
ists — sad eyed, haggard and wan — inspecting 
a bridge across the river Guadalquivir, said to 
have been built in the old Roman days by 
Julius Caesar. 

After a few hours spent in visiting the points 
of interest at Ronda we again took train. The 
outlook was beautiful, especially the glimpses 
of wild mountain scenery and the views of the 
extensive cork forests. After a tree is fifteen 
years old it is stripped every eight or nine 
years. The first stripping taken off is used 



IN SOUTH AMERICA 209 

for lamp-black. After two or three times the 
cork is of finest quality, and at each harvest 
the yield is about one hundred pounds. 

We passed a grove of gigantic olive trees 
said to be five hundred years old. They 
yield immense crops and are twisted into 
most weird shapes. From a distance they look 
like huge mis-shapen human figures wending 
their way across the plain. 

There were deep ravines where bouganvil- 
laes flung curtains of bloom over the rocks and 
cliffs; clearings where peasants were turning up 
the rich brown soil with primitive ploughs, or 
busily weeding and hoeing their farm lands; 
hills where the tinkling of goat-bells made mu- 
sic as the herds grazed on the soft herbage; 
orange groves whose golden fruit hung near 
the car-windows when we stopped at tiny 
hamlets; and acres of horticultural gardens, 
where masses of oleanders, jessamine, lillies, 
and roses made the air redolent with perfume. 
That evening we arrived at Seville. 

Immediately after dinner we wandered out 
and joined the crowds of people that elbowed 



210 WHAT A WOMAN SAW 

their way through the narrow streets. The most 
important street is called "Sierpes," and is so 
named from a long since vanished tavern that 
stood at one end and was known as "The 
Serpent." The zig-zag path leading from its 
door has now become a street, but is so narrow 
and winding that during the busiest part of the 
day a barrier is placed at either end to prevent 
carriages from entering, and pannier laden don- 
keys are the only sort of conveyances allowed 
to pass through. 

It was a beautiful moonlight night, and we 
went to the Alcazar to feast our eyes on the 
azure and ivory tiles and mosaics that gleamed 
in the white light. 

In these Latin countries people seem to live 
only at night. Public promenades are crowded 
with gaily dressed people; lovers stroll hand in 
hand or linger in hall-ways for a last sweet word 
of parting. The men smoke cigarettes incess- 
antly, under all conditions, at all hours, in all 
places. In ancient times lovers beat them- 
selves beneath their lady's window, whipping 
their flesh until the blood burst through the skin, 



IN SOUTH AMERICA 211 

and continued the barbarous act until the lady 
cheered and cried "Lash thy self. Still harder. 
Now I love thee. I am thine," and stretched 
her hand through window bars to be kissed 
by the ardent swain, or dropped her handerchief 
or glove for him to carry next his heart as a 
memento of her favor. 

The Sereno, or night-watchman, is a relic of 
olden times not found in many Spanish cities 
of today, but he is one of the curiosities of Se- 
ville and all through the night may be heard 
chanting at regular intervals "The hour has 
struck and the weather is clear." He has other 
duties besides tolling the hours. Not least im- 
portant among them is assisting weary gentle- 
men who have stayed out late to enter their 
homes. The kind Sereno unlocks the door, 
undresses the wanderer, and does all he can to 
put Mr. Night-hawk to bed without awakening 
Mrs. Stay-at-Home. 

Several days should be spent in Seville. A 
favorite promenade skirts the Guadalquivir. 
It is a long avenue lined with lime trees and 
sycamores, whose brown balls of last year swing 



2 1 2 WHAT A WOMAN SAW 

on the boughs or drop onto the heads of pas- 
sers-by. Then the road winds past a street 
shrine where the Image of the Saint has lost 
its royal nose; through a court-yard — empty 
and quiet save for the quacking of forlorn ducks 
to the House of Pontius Pilate. This building 
is an exact copy of his house in Jerusalem, and 
was built by one of the nobles of Seville on his 
return from one of the Crusades in the thir- 
teenth century. The guide points out the 
exact spot where the cock crew, and also the 
balcony from which Pilate showed Jesus to the 
multitude. 

We went through the Gardens of the Alcazar, 
picked a leaf surreptitiously from an orange tree 
said to be four hundred years old; across the 
square to the Cathedral, and up into the beau- 
tiful Giralda Tower that claims for its archi- 
tect Gaver, the inventor of algebra. All 
Seville stretches at your feet when you stand 
on the summit — 305 feet from the ground — and 
the Guadalquivir looks like a silver ribbon 
winding down past "The Golden Tower" to the 
sea. The Giralda is said to have been built on 



IN SOUTH AMERICA 213 

the site of the prayer tower of a Moorish Mos- 
que in 1 184, and takes its name from the bronze 
figure representing "Faith" (thirteen feet high) 
that ornaments the top, and though immensely 
heavy turns in the lightest wind. The great 
bells of the tower were each baptized with a 
special oil before being hung and were named 
for Saints. San Miguel is the largest and its 
tones boom out over the city like a cannon's roar. 

There are many interesting things to be seen 
within the Cathedral, and to Americans the 
most important is the tomb of Christopher 
Columbus. The casket containing his ashes is 
enclosed in a sort of bier supported on the 
shoulders of four colossal figures representing 
the four provinces of Arragon. 

In the sacristy are wonderful altar ornaments 
of gold and silver richly wrought with prec- 
ious stones. There is a library of 18,000 vol- 
umes called "La Columbina," presented by 
Ferdinand the son of Columbus. The most 
precious document is the manuscript of Colum- 
bus' Travels carefully sealed in a glass case and 
in a remarkable state of preservation. 



214 WHAT A WOMAN SAW 

All of the chapels are richly adorned with 
beautiful screens of carved wood and magnifi- 
cently wrought iron scrolls, for which Spain 
has always been famous. Beneath the altar 
in the Chapel known as "La Capella de los 
Reyes" is a silver sarcophagus containing the 
body of San Fernandez (Ferdinand 111,) who 
drove the Moors out of Spain, and was canon- 
ized because he carried faggots with his own 
hands for the burning of heretics. The body 
is extraordinarily well preserved, and on every 
Fourteenth of May, Thirty-first of May, Aug- 
ust Twenty second, and November Twenty- 
third it is exhibited to the public, while troops 
march past and salute it. 

A curious custom prevails here that is not 
found anywhere else in the world. Every 
evening at dusk for eight consecutive days after 
the Feast of Corpus Christi there is given be- 
fore the high altar in the Cathedral what is 
known as "The Dance of the Seises." It 
represents the dancing of the Israelites before 
the Ark, and is performed by ten boys dressed 
like Spanish caveliers of the medieval age. 



IN SOUTH AMERICA 215 

They wear plumed hats, white stockings, 
doublets, etc. The dance is reverently done 
and its movements resemble a solemnly per- 
formed quadrille. Each figure has a mystic 
meaning and the lines in which the dancers 
move form letters. Most easily distinguished 
by the onlooker are the figures 8, single and 
double chain, and double "S" — which stands 
for "Sanctisimo Sacremento." 

Most tourists wish to see at least one bull- 
fight. A few days before a fight there is a 
great meeting at the fields where the bulls are, 
and the "Four Hundred" of Seville drive out to 
watch the "Espados" choose the animal they 
wish for an antagonist and affix their colors to 
his stall. The night before the fight, in the 
wee small hours when the streets are clear, the 
bulls are surrounded by their "Cabestros," 
(oxen with bells hung to their necks who have 
been with the bulls in the fields and become 
friendly with them) and driven to the Arena 
by men on horseback, who compel the animals 
to travel at top speed. This is called the "En- 
cierro." At the appointed hour of the great 



216 WHAT A WOMAN SAW 

day the band begins to play a lively tune, the 
doors into the ring are opened, and the process- 
ion of all who are to take part in the cruel pas- 
time enter. First on horseback come the Al- 
guaciles wearing velvet cloaks and feathered hats 
to over-top rich satin suits ; the Espados, or Tor- 
eros, walk next, followed by the Banderillos; 
and then come the Picadors on horseback. 
Each in turn salutes the King and Queen and 
the former throws down the keys of the torils, 
or bull-pens, to the Alguaciles. The Toreros, 
who are dressed in rich satin garments of bright 
shades of rose, turquoise, violet, grey, or silver, 
change their satin cloaks (called "capas") — for 
others of commoner material and take up posi- 
tion to await the coming of the bull. These 
cloaks are gorgeous affairs worn only on enter- 
ing and leaving the ring, and are heavily em- 
broidered with gold and silver and often small 
jewels are introduced. The "montera," or hat, 
is of odd shape covered with black velvet or 
chenille and costs forty pounds sterling. The 
Toreros also wear wide waistbands of silk called 
"fazas" that measure four yards in length, 



IN SOUTH AMERICA 217 

and this wonderful costume — always made in 
Madrid — averages to cost not less than one 
hundred pounds or five hundred dollars. 

The part played by the banderillo requires 
great skill and courage. His duty is to plant 
the "banderillas" — wooden sticks sixty five 
centimetres long, covered with bright colored 
paper and having large sharp hooks in the end — 
in the shoulders of the bull. Every movement 
drives the hooks farther into the quivering flesh 
of the infuriated animal as he rushes bellowing 
and raving about the arena. The art lies in 
placing them in pairs as closely as possible to- 
gether. 

Every bull fighter grows a small plait of hair 
rather high up on the back of his head and by it 
his profession is recognized. It is called the 
"coleta," and when once cut off his public 
career is at an end. 

The "muleta" is a large red cloth folded in 
two and draped over a stick, which is flourished 
to attract the bull's attention just before killing 
him. 

The "picadors," generally three in number — 



218 WHAT A WOMAN SAW 

are placed at regular intervals around the ring 
and each one does everything in his power to 
induce the bull to attack him. Each one car- 
ries a long pike w l ith which he irritates the poor 
animal when he draws near him, and while the 
picador usually escapes injury, nine times out 
of ten the bull gores the horse, — who is blind- 
folded. It is not an uncommon sight to see the 
unfortunate helpless equine trampling on its 
own entrails. It is a cruel, cruel sport but 
never-the-less the one adored by Spaniards, 
who will go without food in order to have mon- 
ey for a bull-fight. A stranger at the "Plaz- 
ados Torros" might well imagine that the en- 
tire population of the city had come to see poor 
dumb brutes tortured and killed. The 
crowds are enormous, and hours before the 
time announced for the fray, every seat is taken 
and the roads leading to the plaza are filled 
with a hurrying throng humming like an exag- 
gerated bee-hive, anxious to secure some point 
of vantage whence they can view the slaughter. 
Next to bull-fights the Spaniards enjoy the 
game of "pelota," which is as exciting as it 



IN SOUTH AMERICA 219 

is difficult. Marvelous agility and dexterity 
are required to excel as a player. The game 
is played between two high walls — 220 feet 
apart — and consists in sending a ball weighing 
three ounces to certain heights on the walls by 
striking it with a graceful half-moon shaped 
glove called a "chistera" (two feet long and six 
inches wide) made of fine basket work. One end 
is like a leather glove through which the ringers 
are passed and then it is tightly strapped to the 
wrist. It is an exciting game to watch and one 
that never allows the spectator's interest to 
waver even for a second. 

"Dominos" is also a favorite game with the 
Spaniards, and throughout the night one hears 
a sound like rattling hail-stones, that is made 
by the constant turning and returning of thous- 
ands of dominos. The noise is so great near 
the popular gambling houses for this game 
that the passerby is obliged to lift his voice 
when speaking to a companion. 

THE END. 



NOV 13 1913 



